Coming Home
by xLSx
Summary: AU. The Cullens left in New Moon and Victoria changed Bella. Together along with Jacob, Seth and Leah they have lived in Forks for over a century. What happens when the Cullens come back?.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Coming Home.

Pairings: Bella/Rosalie, Leah/Alice, Esme/Victoria.(Very weird I know)

Rating: M

Disclaimer: Nothing is mine, it all belongs to Stephanie Meyer.

Summary: The Cullens left in New Moon, Victoria changed Bella, together along with Jacob, Seth, and Leah they've lived in Forks for over a century. What happens when the Cullens come back.

**AN, Warnings for language, Femslash, Violence ect. Be cautious this is my first fanfic, so I'm sorry if it bores you to death or if the characters seem too OOC. Also it will contain serious Edward bashing because I hate his depressing ass. **

**Chapter one.**

It was just your average day down in the reservation meaning the rain was coming down in buckets, the fog had gathered at the cliff faces, the sky was a gunmetal grey with lighter grey clouds. Only the mood didn't fit the atmosphere, two stunning vampires and three strong werewolves were racing through the forest carefree laughter bubbling from each of them.

"Okay so once again I win" the red headed Victoria proclaimed confidently.

"I think we've found your gift" Bella said to her maker, finally appearing from the bushes, the rain had plastered her mahogany hair to her forehead.

"Oh yeah 'cause its not like she didn't cheat" the youngest member of their family, Seth, growled sulkily coming into their clearing with his sister Leah and their pack leader Jacob, both of which looked like they wanted to laugh at Seth and his childish behaviour.

" You know, baby brother, over a hundred years old and you still act like a fourteen year old boy" Leah said while running her hands through her short raven hair.

"Yeah, Seth you should by now that, V, just doesn't lose" Jacob said with a little laugh, flexing his massive muscles slightly, over the years the wolves had continued to grow, Jacob now stood at seven foot exactly with his arm muscles the equivalent of two of Bella's thighs. Seth wasn't as broad as his pack leader and he was six-foot-seven In height. Leah was a lot more slender than both of them and was about six-foot-three still a lot taller than both vampires. Victoria still looked like a feline, though her clothes were a lot more tame, designer jeans and a plain white tank top both of which were plastered to the red head's curvy body leaving not much to the imagination and for the past century Bella had convinced her maker to wear shoes ,brown leather boots adorned her feet, and came up to just below her knees. But perhaps the biggest changes had happened with Bella, Victoria's venom had brought out the natural red high lights in her once completely dark hair, she wore an outfit very similar to her maker's, black, flared designer jeans clad her long legs and a red tank top hugged her now generous chest, her top had black graffiti going down diagonally, from her left shoulder to her right hip. The venom in her system had made her taller than when she been human she now stood at five-foot-ten, the same height as her maker.

" Enough children, we have school tomorrow and at least three of us need an early night" Victoria said happily, still a little giddy over her win over her family. There was a chorus of groans from the younger members.

" Come on V, there is only so many times that you can sit through algebra" Bella said, the whine clear in her voice.

"Bella, my childe, do you want to be forced to leave, according to the Volturi, so long as we finish school and have a job for at least five years we can stay here for as long as we like" Victoria scolded softly.

"Oh I disagree" Leah laughed " after last time do you really think they'd come anywhere near us, I believe I heard Felix say " I will never go near a wolf with PMS again". Leah finished with a grin remembering when she'd bitten the large vampire on the ass. Bella gestured towards Leah with a "**there you go" **look. Victoria smiled at the memory but quickly added.

" We really don't what to deal with the hassle, and the paper work do we?, I mean what kind of ruling vampire class files assault charges" Victoria reasoned, it had taken them weeks to fill out all those "yes, I might of let my wolf bite a member of the guard, but she didn't mean it" papers, Jeez one of the questions had actually been "does she have any rabies and/or any other diseases". They all shared a laugh.

"All right, lets go home" Bella growled, admitting defeat.

TBC . . .

**AN: loved it, Hated it, let me know. Next chapter Bella and the crew go to school, and the Cullens will be in there. Oh by the way Bella is meant to be OOC, I can't write Timid to save my life. LOL.**


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Coming Home.

Pairings: Bella/Rosalie, Leah/Alice, Esme/Victoria

Rating: M

Disclaimer: Nothing is mine, it all belongs to its respective owners.

Summary: The Cullens left in New Moon, Victoria changed Bella, together along with Jacob, Seth and Leah they've lived in Forks for over a century. What happens when the Cullens come back.

**AN: Thanks for your reviews, its nice to know you guys are okay with Esme/Victoria, i was dreading the reactions to that one. ****Okay in this chapter, Bella and the crew have gone back to school, they come face to face with the Cullens, Leah imprints on Alice, sparks fly, you get the idea. Think of this chapter as an interval**

Chapter two, Look who's back.

The next day, Bella's POV,

I ran my straighteners down my long red-black hair, all the while checking my make up, eye-liner check, mascara check, pale pink lip-gloss check, simple and flawless. Turning my straighteners off and setting them down on my dresser. I ran on last glance over my attire, white trousers, black tank top, to be topped off with with my designer black leather jacket. Good enough, I decided it was only school and I knew from experience everyone was going to be more focused on my topaz coloured eyes and my flawless face to even look at anything else, well at least the most of the girls wouldn't, the boys however, I nearly shuddered at the thought, safe to say the people of Forks need to get their Gay-dars fixed. Soon. After Dickward abandoned me, I met a girl called Cally, she had long blonde hair that just about reached her nice, firm ass, her eyes had been the most gorgeous emerald green. She hadn't just been beautiful though, she was funny, smart and absolutely amazing. But I was soon reminded of how cruel fate could be, my new found love had been taken from me in a car crash. I hadn't had a meaningful relationship since.

"Bella move your fine ass we gonna be late" Leah yelled, I nearly laughed, us be late, with the cars we had, yeah that was gonna happen. Leah just wanted to check out the female population of Forks high school, yep turns out both Leah and Victoria are into woman they came out of the closet a few days after me, never saw that one coming Using my vampire speed, I ran down stairs.

"All right, All right, keep your panties on, I'm ready" I growled grabbing my book bag.

"Well its about time, jeez I never thought I'd see the day you took more than ten minutes to get ready. And talking about panties-" Leah said leaning into the me seductively I wrapped my arms around the wolf's waist, intrigued." Just say the word, and you can have mine" the shifter purred.

"That sounds like fun, can I get in on this" Victoria said huskily from the door way.

"As much as I would love to play with you both, we have school" I winked in Victoria's direction"as you reminded me so cruelly yesterday" I turned my attention back to Leah "and as you said we are gonna be late" I walked out the door smiling at their teasing, if it weren't for my new found coven I would probably be a complete mess by now.

At New Fork's High School,

I sat on the hood of my massive white and silver Jeep scanning the crowd, Victoria was sat beside me on the hood while Leah, Seth and Jacob stood surrounding us.

A group of freshmens caught my eye, and oh Jesus i just found the new Mike and Jessica, the Brunette was talking _at_ the blonde boy while he was looking straight at me._ Have mercy_, I thought as he made a big show of walking over to me and my family. I shared an eye roll with Seth, who had been watching the whole thing, over the years i had told the wolves everything about my _school friends_. The only one I actually missed was Angela.

Suddenly a odd scent assaulted my nostrils, instinct took over, I snarled violently just as the shifters started shaking. Victoria jumped off the hood of the Jeep, just as a newer model of Volvo turned into the parking lot. And the doors opened, I watched in disbelief as five of the people I never thought i'd see again climbed out.

"Shit," Jacob snarled "what the fuck are they doing back?"

I jumped off the Jeep, and made towards them every instinct I had demanded that I attack. As I side stepped the unwitting humans, to them it would look like I was walking very fast, I could feel my family close behind me. I snarled again, gaining the Cullen's attention, a mixture of emotions crossed their faces shock, disbelief, hope, and if it were possible I would have said they got even paler.

"Cullens" I forced out between gritted teeth "why might I ask are you in _my _territory without my knowledge or permission" I growled, Jasper actually flinched as he felt the full force of my anger. I felt a hand on my shoulder, I didn't have to look to know it was Victoria.

"Not here, my Childe" she said soothingly "tonight at our place, we need to talk" she said icily in the Cullen's direction. A small gasp caught my attention from Leah's direction, _oh hell no_ I thought ,there was no way she had just-.

**Leah's POV**

Along with Jacob, Seth and Victoria I followed an enraged Bella, how could they come back, over a hundred years and they were back, of course they probably thought Bella was long dead, but still. I watched as Bella demanded to know why they were in her territory, after Bella had been changed those jackass Volturi had shown up and asked her to join them, something to do with Bella's power, she had demanded the Olympic territory upfront and that she'd think about it, of course Bella had not so subtly told them to go fuck themselves, in the end that's what lend to the whole me biting Felix on the ass thing.

I quickly glanced at the Cullen's, dickward the asshole who left Bella, the big Muscled one who acts like a child, the older blonde male, then there was the sexy blonde ice queen, and then-

It was like gravity gave out on me, as I stared at the small pixie girl who looked like she didn't know whether to stand still or try to hug Bella, everything that had once meant so much to me,the pack, the coven we had with Bella and Victoria, Seth's safety, everything that held me to the Earth became second to the happiness and safety of this beautiful creature, I became so over whelmed that a small gasp left my throat before I could stop it. I looked into Bella's Golden eyes, how was I supposed to live with her now I had just imprinted on one of the vampires that had nearly broken her.

**Victoria's POV**

_This was not good_ I thought as I looked at Leah, this was an unstable situation already, and judging from the way Leah was looking at the Small pixie like vampire, it didn't take a genius to know the female shifter had just imprinted. Then there a shrill noise flooded my ears, _saved by the bell _I mentally sent a prayer of thanks to anyone that listened to vampires.

"Come on Bella, Leah " I said commandingly as the females stayed where they were, my childe looked like she wanted to kill something her eyes had turned black with the amount of rage she was feeling, Leah looked like she wanted to protest.

"Leah, now" Jacob said in his alpha voice, meaning Leah couldn't protest even though she clearly wanted to. The last thing I did as before joining my coven was tell the Cullen's our address, just in case we didn't have any classes together. As I turned I caught a glance of the pixie's face, she looked completely lost without Leah nearby. _Great_ I thought _this is just perfect, _Bella wants revenge on them, and Leah just imprinted on one of them.

**TBC . . .**

**AN: Review and Let me know what you thought, creative criticism is welcome. Question: Were the emotions believable, i wasn't too sure. Next time, the Cullens meet up with the Crew, and there will be some Bella/Rosalie alone time, as well as some Leah/Alice. Victoria meets Esme, and before anything happens between them, i need to break up her marriage to Carlisle, any ideas on that one?. Until next time, which should be up in about three to four days.**


	3. Chapter 3

Title: Coming Home.

Pairings: Bella/Rosalie, Leah/Alice, Esme/Victoria.

Rating: M

Disclaimer: Nothing is mine, it all belongs to Stephanie Meyer.

Summary: The Cullens left in New Moon, Victoria changed Bella, together along with Jacob, Seth, and Leah they've lived in Forks for over a century. What happens when the Cullens come back.

**AN: I'm back again, thanks for your reviews, I'm loving the feedback. Let me start off by saying to those of you who thought the last chapter was a little intense, I've read so many fics were Bella's all " oh look its the Cullens, La di da, things go back to normal", I mean come on the saying is "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned" and Bella got her heart broken. **

**Just wanna get in here that Jasper is not gonna be gay, and I know how to spell "child" I just wanted it to sound all vampire-y ;) **

**This chapter will be from multiple points of view so we get every one's thoughts and emotions. **

**Anyway events in this chapter in order, Bonding moment between V/B/L, reactions to Alice/Leah imprinting, and jerkward kicks off (that self-centred bitch). Then the BIG meeting.**

**Chapter three, The meeting.**

**Victoria's POV.**

_Its official, the shit has hit the fan, _I thought as I stared at a fuming Bella, who was wearing a trail in my carpet, Damn it, that Persian rug cost $35,000. Leah looked home sick being so far away from her imprint, and the shifter clearly felt guilty, even though she couldn't help what had happened, I personally couldn't wait to welcome a new member to our family, even if it meant dealing with that bronzed-haired little shit. _Thats it_, I mentally growled, _no more nice mama vampire._

"Come on" I said to both of them, gaining looks from all four of my "children". "We are going for a walk", I stated, giving the boys a look that clearly read "if you follow and eavesdrop, I'll kick your butts to south America and back" they both visibly gulped, probably imagining my five inch stilettos. I walked out of our spacious mansion, leaving the girls to follow at their leisure.

Having used my vampire speed, I reached the cliff, we always went to when dealing with family business, being outside meant I didn't have to clean up any broken furniture, Glasses, or antiques. After the kids had broken my unique portrait that Leonardo Da Vinci himself had all but begged me to pose for, it had become clear that we needed somewhere were no one would break any more of _my_ stuff. Jesus, if I could've cried over that portrait, I would've been bawling like a baby. _Here we go_ I thought as the girls appeared.

**The cliff, Bella's POV.**

"Bella, would you like to start off, with your views and opinions on recent events" Victoria started off. Sounding more like a shrink than the caring vampire she obviously was.

Taking a deep breath, " Look I know I could've handled things a lot better, I shouldn't have let them get to me like that, and Leah, if I gave you the impression that I was mad at you, thats not the case, I know that you couldn't have helped it, and that imprinting means so much to a shifter. I'm just pissed that now I'll have to see that asshole all the fucking time!" I all but yelled, the frustration I had been feeling all day bubbling to the surface, again.

Victoria nodded in understanding, "That was a good input, Leah, your response?" I smiled at Victoria's antics, seriously the woman should charge by the hour, either that or become a talk-show hostess.

**Leah's POV**

As I took in what Bella said, I was overjoyed that the woman I had come to consider my sister wasn't angry, maybe things would be okay, now all I had to do was win the love of my imprint and I still didn't know how she felt about all of this.

"I understand how you feel, I'm mean how could I not, I was by your side through the entire thing, and it would mean so much to me if you could accept Alice as part of the family" I spoke my worst fear aloud, I didn't want to have to choose between them.

Bella smiled assuringly," Leah, my sister, Alice became part of our family when you looked into her eyes, just don't expect me to nice to that bronze- haired mother fucker." I smiled and rushed to embrace my sister.

As we hugged, our Mother for all intents and purposes, continued her monologue, "And next week on families gone wrong, Bella will get my boot up her ass if she doesn't get her algebra homework done." We all laughed at that.

**Cullen manor, Alice POV.**

I stood in the centre of my large suite, staring at my soon to be, Ex-husband, who was calmly looking at me not saying a thing, _I can't take much more of this, _he'd been avoiding me all day.

On one level, I felt so bad, that I had hurt him, after all we had been happy together, for one hundred and sixty five years. But on another level, the more dominate level, I knew that any illusions of carrying on with him as normal just wasn't going to happen, in fact, just the thought of ever having to be physically intimate with him or any one else other than the shifter, made me feel ill. _The shifter, god I didn't even know her name._ But how did I tell him without hurting him more than I already had?.

"Jazz" I began softly, not really knowing were I was going with this.

" You don't have to explain, I know you don't feel that kind of love for me any more" Crap, I mentally winced, I had forgotten about his gift.

" Jazz, I will always love you, but-" I trailed off.

"As a brother, right?" Jasper finished, with a sad smile gracing his flawlessly sculpted face. I lowered my head slowly not wanting to look into his understanding eyes, by rights he should ranting and raving, cursing my very existence, instead he stood there, a pillar of strength I was going to need if I was going to face the rest of my family, not to mention Bella.

Side-by-side we walked downstairs slowly and was greeted by a mix of emotions on the faces of the people I loved most. Rosalie, stood by Esme' side both of their faces, concerned. Emmett was shifting from side to side agitated, I knew he couldn't wait to try and make up with Bella, _Bella, why was she so angry, Edward had said that she didn't want to be with him any more, that it was too dangerous for her, and that it would be easier for her if they left. _This was one of the things I wanted to ask her when we met up later. And speaking of Edward he was stood by Carlisle's side, a smug smirk plastered to his face, and Carlisle, was watching me and Jasper carefully.

" So, I assume that you two have sorted out your problems, and we can continue on as normal" Carlisle spoke, already turning in the direction of his study.

"Actually, we have some news, me and Alice have decided to end things, because its obvious that no matter how much I may wish it, her soul mate is not me." Jasper said in a strong voice. I gave him a small smile in thanks.

" Allow me to get this straight, you are set on destroying our family because some abnormal mutt has imprinted on you" Edward sneered at me. I really just wanted to slap the arrogant smile off his face. Just as I was about to say something I was probably going to regret, Rosalie spoke up in her icy tone.

" Shes not the one who has destroyed our family, you complete waste of space-" Rosalie growled out venomously, looking at the other members, she finished "- am I the only one who has noticed how pissed Bella was earlier, why do I get the feeling that she didn't want us to leave, like _you _said she did" my blonde sister finished, her voice had dropped to a deadly tone.

Edward looked to Carlisle for help, and of course the elder male, went to his eldest son's defence, he had been doing that every day for the past century.

"Rosalie, are you implying that Edward lied to us, he wouldn't do that, and if you don't treat him with the proper respect, you will have to leave this house." The patriarch of our family snarled, I watched as Edward sent a smug smile at Rose and crossed his arms over his tiny chest slowly. Just as Rose was about to send another question Edward's way, Esme grabbed the blonde's arm a pleading expression on her face. Defeat marred the goddesses face, as she sighed.

"Very good, now then we must go to this little meeting of theirs, and find out why they are living in _our_ territory" Carlisle said.

"What about Victoria, I don't want her anywhere near Bella, after all she is MY mate" Edward said pouting at Carlisle.

" Of course, Bella will do as you say, and if she doesn't, then I will make her" Carlisle proclaimed. What was wrong with them, my once loving and caring, brother and father, had turned into obnoxious, assholes. I Looked over to Esme, who still had a vice grip on Rose's arm, all I could see in her eyes was sorrow and disbelief.

**Rosalie's POV.**

Running through the forest, I stayed close to Esme and Alice, knowing that they both needed support, after all they had been there for me when I had decided to divorce Emmett, after leaving Forks all those years ago, I had felt like something, a big part of me had been lost. It had taken hours of quality time with the two females, to figure out that it was Bella, the girl who everyone thought I had hated, even I thought it was hate I felt for her, had been the missing piece, the key to my heart and soul.

The knowledge that she didn't want to see me, or any of us again, had nearly driven me insane. Even worse, if she ever thought of me again that she would remember me as the frigged bitch, that tried at every point to make her life a misery. I had instantly wanted to return to her, to explain myself, but then Alice had reminded me that she didn't want to know us and that she was happy.

_Happy?_ I scoffed, Edward had caused more damage to us all, than he would ever understand. Esme rarely spoke to Carlisle any more, and when she did she sounded broken, after all Bella had been like another daughter to her. Alice had never been the bouncy, excited woman that everyone remembered. I had ignored Edward and Carlisle entirely, and spoke only to Esme, Alice, Jasper and Emmett, who had accepted my decision of a divorce, saying he only wanted me to be happy, that alone had ensured that we had become best friends ever since.

We finally arrived at the address Victoria had given us earlier on, I wasn't entirely surprised, to see a large white mansion, in the middle of the forest, unlike our house the front wasn't completely Glass, but there was a large porch with glass doors leading into, what I assumed, was the Family room. Over to the side of the house was a massive garage, and a basket ball court, marked clearly. Suddenly a loud shout from the direction of the mansion caught my attention.

"Damn it, Seth could you wait for like an hour!, and Jacob, do me a favour and go see whats taking the girls so long, For god sake Seth!, Put the bowl down, Jesus you'd think I let you starve" the voice sounded like Victoria's. I smiled softly, at least Bella has a loving family, I was very interested in how they came together.

I watched as Carlisle approached the Glass doors slowly as if he was scared the door was going to bite him. I rolled my eyes slowly before clearing my throat loudly, knowing that with their advanced hearing, the vampires and wolves inside the house would easily hear me. The wide double doors swung open to reveal the red headed Victoria, wearing black skinny jeans and a white tank top.

"Cullens" she greeted in a civil tone, standing off to the side she gestured us into the house. I walked forward confidently, with Alice close behind followed by Jasper and Emmett. I frowned when the other three didn't immediately follow, looking over my shoulder, I saw Edward shift closer to Carlisle's side, and Esme, she was staring at Victoria with her mouth slightly open, and her eyes were wide open.

"Are you just gonna stand there?" A familiar voice drifted over to me. _Bella, _I sighed as every fibre of my being relaxed, _Home._

**Esme's POV**

_Shes perfect,_ I thought staring at the beautiful creature before me. Flame red hair was left to cascaded down her pale shoulders. Gorgeous Golden eyes looked at me from beneath her shapely eyebrows. Wait, what am I thinking, I'm married to Carlisle though I wasn't sure how I felt about him any more.

"Are you just going to stand there?" Bella's musical voice travelled to my ears. She came into view slowly, I was instantly flooded with guilt, _How had I ever allowed Edward to manipulate me into leaving her._

Soon we were all seated in the house.

" Who wants to start?" the red headed angel, Victoria asked.

Everyone wanted to ask something so I quickly spoke up. "We were all wondering, how exactly did you all come to be together?" I wanted to keep this as civil as possible. Victoria opened her mouth about to answer, but she was interrupted by Edward.

" Enough, I came here for one thing, MY MATE, Carlisle, I WANT MY MATE" Edward screamed.

**TBC . . . **

**AN: Hehe, Don't kill me, I know I said there would be a meeting, and there was, kind of. I just wanted to know what you thought of this chapter so far, was it all believable and I already know that imma kill Edward off, but ****who do you want to get the honours. Consider this as part one of the meeting, and I will update with in the next few days, as I have an obscene amount of free time on my hands :) **


	4. Chapter 4

Title: Coming Home.

Pairings: Bella/Rosalie, Leah/Alice, Esme/Victoria.

Rating: M

Disclaimer: Nothing is mine, it all belongs to Stephanie Meyer.

Summary: The Cullens left in New Moon, Victoria changed Bella, together along with Jacob, Seth, and Leah they've lived in Forks for over a century. What happens when the Cullens come back.

**AN: Ya see what I mean, obscene amount of free time :) Thanks for all of your feedback, I'm glad that you all seem to be enjoying this. In this chapter loyalties are tested, Victoria/Esme have a moment, as well as Rosalie/Bella, and of course the "talk" with Alice/Leah. Oh and we have Fuckward's POV, Joy.**

Chapter four, the meeting part 2.

**Victoria's POV,**

There was a chorus of enraged snarls, mine included, as that little shit demanded HIS mate. I watched as Bella moved across the family room at vampire speed, wrapping her hand around Edward's throat, a pissed off roar leaving her mouth, as Black eyes met golden ones. I grinned sadistically when a frightened cry came from Edward.

"Carlisle!, Help me!" Edward squealed. The patriarch of the Cullen family, lunged towards Bella, deadly intent clear on his face, I hissed threateningly, before I grabbed the fucker by the belt and tossed him over into the side wall, there was a satisfying smashing sound as Carlisle went through the wall and into the kitchen.

At this point the wolves had shifted, and I could feel their imposing presence flanking me, I waved them off quickly, _This jackass is mine, _but before I could move to deliver more damage to Carlisle, I felt something pressing against my sternum, I looked down to see a tiny hand, I found myself looking into the Topaz eyes of Esme Cullen, suddenly I felt the fight drained out of me. A low purring sound came from me, and all I wanted to do was wrap my arms around the smaller woman, and do anything she asked me to.

"This was a bad idea, we'll leave" Esme said softly. The mere thought of her leaving my sight scared me shitless. Before I knew it, a whimper of longing sounded, it took me a moment to realise that it had come from me. Esme raised her hand to my cheek, and I leaned into it, closing my eyes at how right it felt.

**Rosalie's POV,**

A possessive snarl left my lips when Edward finished his all-about-me speech. But before I could attack him Bella beat me to the punch, moving across the room so damn fast, even _I_ didn't see her.

"Let me make this clear, you worthless piece of shit-" Bella snarled dangerously Low, "I'm not your mate, and its only out of respect for the Cullens I can actually stand, that I'm not ripping you apart." I smiled slowly when Edward whimpered in fear.

"Emmett, Jasper" I spoke up " Get Carlisle and Edward" as my brothers moved towards Carlisle, first, I caught a glance of Victoria and Esme staring lovingly into each others eyes. _Good, Esme deserves to be happy, and now to take out the trash, _a small scream came from Bella and Edwards direction, That asshole had tried to touch Bella's face and the brunette now had Edward's wrist in a vice grip slowly crushing the bones. I quickly made my way to Bella's side and placed a comforting hand on the woman I love's shoulder, whispering softly.

"Bella hes not worth it, let him go" though nothing would please me more than to watch Bella tear Edward's obnoxious head off, I knew it would cause more problems in the long run. Bella growled irritably before reluctantly releasing Edward's chicken neck, before Bella could move away from me entirely I caught her arm, meeting her eyes.

"Can we talk?" I asked gently. A wave of relief flooded me as she nodded.

**Alice's POV,**

_Fucking Edward, _I mentally growled, when the dickhead in question looked at me with an insulted look on his face, _yeah you heard me you mind- reading piece of shit._

All of this was his fault, why did he even come here if all he was going to do was cause trouble. As Emmett picked up Carlisle and dragged his worthless ass out of the house, Jasper calmly made his way over to Edward, who instantly opened his mouth, and said:

"Don't even think about touching me, I'm ten-times the vampire you are, and if you put your grubby hands on me, I'll tell Carlisle" Edward stated arrogantly, I couldn't stop the laughter that bubbled free of me when he said that, Jasper had seen more violence than all of the Volturi put together. Edward's gaze swung over to me accusingly.

" Oh you think thats funny, well, we'll see who gets the last laugh. I WILL get MY mate, and then I'LL take over the coven, and all of you will have to do whatever I want, Carlisle said so" Edward proclaimed proudly. _Oh Jesus, he has issues, _was my last thought before Jasper picked Edward up and unceremoniously threw him out the door.

I surveyed the family room I was standing in, it looked pretty much untouched until you came to the side wall were there was a massive Carlisle shaped hole in the middle, I sighed sadly, this what not how I imagined things playing out, tension filled silences, yes, full-blown fights, not so much.

Suddenly there was a massive light grey wolf looking down at me, a soft whine erupted from the gorgeous creature's throat. I instantly felt protected, I reached up slowly to stroke her head, I grinned happily when she leaned into my touch, and then, she licked my hand.

"eww, thats unhygienic" I exclaimed, wiping my hand on my pants. A soft repetitive sound came from my she-wolf, _she was laughing? _That was the most adorable sound I had ever heard in all my two hundred plus years.

"We need to talk" I said, when she had calmed down, she nodded her great head before disappearing quickly.

When she came back she had shifted back, and I was struck by how beautiful she was, short raven hair, Dark soul-searching eyes, and flawless light copper skin. She was wearing faded cut-offs and a grey T-shirt.

Together we walked out the house and into the forest, finding a fallen tree I sat on it, instinctively moving closer to her when she did the same.

"Where do we begin?" she asked facing me.

"Names would be a good start don't you think" I answered, smiling sweetly.

Her answering smile made me feel like I could fly.

"Well, I'm Leah Clearwater, and you are?" she retorted, holding her hand out.

_Leah, _it was like music to my ears. " Alice Cullen" I said simply more focused on the fact that I was about to touch her than my answer. Taking her hand It felt like I was holding an open flame, one that would never hurt me.

"I think I should probably tell you about imprinting before anything else" Leah said taking a deep breath, still holding my hand she explained what had happened between us.

"Imprinting, thats what we call it, is when a wolf finds their soulmate, normally when we find the one we stop phasing so we can grow old with them." I stiffened, feeling stone-cold dread at the thought of Leah leaving me. Leah must of felt the action because she drew me closer into the heat of her body.

"I'll never leave you" she whispered fervently. And I knew this was where I was meant to be, this was home.

**Bella's POV,**

I followed Rosalie closely as she walked into the forest focusing on the outline of her shapely body, some how soothed by her presence. I had sworn to Victoria that I wouldn't let Edward get to me again, but the moment that bastard had opened his mouth I had known that I was going to break my promise.

"what did you want to talk about, Rosalie?" I asked feeling strangely tired.

"what really happened when we left, did you really tell Edward that you wanted us to leave" So he had lied to me and to them, why was I surprised "No Rosalie, strange as it seems I did love him once and you, all of you were like a second family to me", I forced out through clenched teeth, I should have torn his worthless hid apart when I had the chance.

"That asshole, he said that, that-" Rosalie broke off, before she started to pass, back and forward. Her movements were getting faster and faster, so I grabbed her by both her elbows, bringing us into close proximity.

"I can guess what he said Rosalie, but why did you leave without saying goodbye?" I snarled, remembering the hurt I had felt when they left.

"Because I didn't realise what you meant to me until it was too late." Rosalie finally growled out, I frowned, confused.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Bella, I-I love you." She stuttered.

Every part of me went rigged, as shock filled me.

**Edward's POV,**

How dare they treat me like this? I was the fastest and strongest in this family. Bella should be begging to be with me. All of them are unworthy to be in my presence, but I tolerate them don't I?, they would be nothing without me.

" How dare they?" I yelled to my father. " you said that I was special, that they would all treat me with respect" I turned to Carlisle who looked like a plum after Victoria had tossed him around like a rag doll.

"You are special, Don't worry soon everything will be yours" Carlisle spoke.

**TBC . . .**

**AN: So did it live up to expectation? How did you like the bonding moments between the lovely ladies? Next chapter, Esme has to make an important decision, Rosalie begins her wooing of Bella, and Alice meets Seth. And we have the douche bags planning something.**


	5. Chapter 5

Title: Coming Home.

Pairings: Bella/Rosalie, Leah/Alice, Esme/Victoria.

Rating: M

Disclaimer: Nothing is mine, it all belongs to Stephanie Meyer.

Summary: The Cullens left in New Moon, Victoria changed Bella, together along with Jacob, Seth, and Leah they've lived in Forks for over a century. What happens when the Cullens come back.

**AN: Thanks for the reviews, this chapter is gonna mostly be establishing the relationships between the lovely ladies, particularly because I can only write jackass for so long, so on with the show. Oh and Lemons, can you guess which pairing?.**

**Chapter five, surprises.**

**Bella's POV**

Huh, did I just hear that right, Rosalie, beautiful, icy, completely stunning, Rosalie was in love with me. How? When? And what the hell was I supposed to do with that now. I opened my mouth to reply, but closed it again, what could I say. When I first met her, I had thought she hated me, when had that changed?.

"Rose I, um, I don't really know what to say" I said lamely, _yeah nice one Bells, great social skills, _I mentally scolded myself.

"Bella, I know that you really don't need this right now, but can we at least be friends" Rosalie said beseechingly.

"Yeah, of course Rosalie, hell we're practically in-laws now any way" I said trying to make Rosalie feel better, but judging from the shadows in her eyes I wasn't doing a good job of it. I mentally winced, I didn't know how I felt about Rosalie, But I knew that I would do anything to keep her from being hurt.

"We'd better get back to the drama" I said softly.

**Esme's POV,**

I walked around Victoria's house, taking in the art work, the furniture, the textures and the atmosphere. _I could live here very happily_ I thought, it was so peaceful and welcoming.

So controversial compared to Cullen manor, it was dark and dreary. Just like the two people who were tearing at my heart, Carlisle who I had loved once so much, after all I owed him my life, he had cared and provided for me all my immortal life. And then there was Victoria the passionate red head was so captivating, when I was looking into her eyes I knew that she would always treat me as an equal, not as a possession as Carlisle often did.

"What are you thinking?" Victoria asked from her seat across the room, that simple question, meant so much to me, because it revealed her caring nature. Something Carlisle hadn't shown for a long time. At least for anyone other than Edward.

"I'm thinking I want to run and never look back" I spoke, barely above a whisper. Turning towards Victoria, my distress must have been evident on my face because the red head was across the room in half a second taking me into her arms, I burrowed into her chest, inhaling her lavender scent.

"You can run as far as you like, but I can assure you that I'd follow" she declared.

"Wherever I went?" I questioned quietly.

"To the ends of the Earth" she swore, looking up into her stunning face, I leaned upwards and pressed my lips against hers, tracing her lower lip with my tongue I moaned when she opened her mouth and let me taste her hot sweetness. I smiled slightly when her tongue slide out to tangle with mine in a sensual dance. I gasped softly when I felt her hands slowly trail down my back to cup my backside, pulling me more firmly against her. I wrapped one of my legs around her waist tightly, groaning loudly when her abdomen pressed into my heating core. Suddenly she lifted me off the ground and I wrapped both my legs around her waist and rubbed my now-aching cunt against her, delighting in her hot growl against my lips. I moaned and fisted my hands in her fiery red hair when she pulled away from my lips to nibble of my neck like she was asking permission to mark me as hers.

"Do it" I whimpered, need coursing through my body, I cried out loudly when I felt her sharp teeth penetrate the side of my neck, right where my neck met my shoulder, it was like the bite sent vibrations right down to my clit which was craving attention.

"God, V, fuck me please" I begged as her satisfied purring floated up to my ears.

The next thing I knew she was carrying me upstairs and placing me on a bed of purple satin sheets.

Every breath I took was filled with her scent, with her passion, until I felt consumed by her.

"Good, baby" she groaned roughly as she tore at my blouse from my shoulders before her lips slid down my shoulders finding the creamy swollen curves of my upper breast as I arched towards her.

"Don't tease me, V, please" I whimpered feeling her fingers on the buckle off my belt, releasing it quickly before attacking the zipper of my jeans. Within minutes she had every thing stripped from me except my damp red thong. My juices spilled from my pussy wetting the small triangle between my thighs as Victoria slid her fingers over the soft fabric."I'm gonna make you scream" she warned me.

I shuddered in pleasure, her musical voice was caressing my nerve endings making me ache like I never had before.

She slowly slid down my body until her lips teased the tip of my hard nipple, barely smoothing it as she toyed with me. I had never known such an overwhelming craving for another's touch, not just anyone's touch _Her _touch.

I jerked when she took the small pebble of my nipple into the hot cavern of her mouth. Pleasure was whipping through my body bolts of it spearing into my womb, as I dug my nails into her back.

She lay over me, her mouth never breaking its fierce suction, suddenly she switched to my other nipple tormenting me with flicks of ecstasy, all the while her fingers stroked over my side, my hip, my thigh, growing steadily closer to the agonizing ache between my thighs.

When she cupped me there, I arched to her, I wanted to cry from the overwhelming pleasure, the never-ending ache that was just getting more and more intense.

Her fingers moved more firmly against the damp mound of my pussy, her hand pressing more firmly into my tortured clit and sending blasts of white hot heat across my skin.

"Damn you're pussy is so hot your scalding my hand" her own arousal was clear in her voice.

"You know what I'm going to do, Esme" she questioned softly sliding down my writhing body slowly, all I could do was whimper in response. "I'm gonna eat your sweet pussy" she said before removing my soaked thong, I watched as she situated herself between my legs, slowly she parted my slick folds and then all I could do was shudder violently as her tongue swiped across the cream-slick flesh of my cunt before being insinuated into my narrow slit and pumping hard causing devastating results.

It was humiliating to climax so quickly, as I arched into her my cry shattered the silence of the room as my clit throbbed and pulsed and my pussy spilled the slick essence of my release, which Victoria eagerly licked up.

As I tried to gain control over my harsh breathing Victoria slide up my quivering body and pressed a soft kiss against my lips.

**Leah's POV**

Walking hand in hand with Alice seemed almost second nature to me, and it soon would be after all we had eternity together. We had been talking for hours, just simple things like our favourite colours, hobbies and our interests.

"So my brother really wants to meet you, properly" I said broaching the dreaded subject.

Alice seemed to think about that for a while before smiling happily,_ God I loved that smile, _it had become my favourite thing about her in a few short hours.

"I would love to get to know him, Leah so long as you do the same for Rosalie" Alice countered.

"Sure, I would do anything to make you happy" I admitted.

"So you think we should head back" Alice said quietly.

"Probably" I sighed, hoping things had calmed down by now.

"Come on I'll race you" she said a teasing lilt to her voice.

"What do I get if I win" I teased back, smiling widely.

"Hmm, a kiss?" I could imagine it already, possessing those soft lips as she moaned gently. Suddenly she laughed softly and raced into the forest, _ooh tricksy vampire,_ I thought before phasing and bounding after her, a massive grin on my face.

**Bella's POV,**

Slowly walking back to the house with Rosalie, I looked over to the blonde goddess in question,

"Do you wanna do something tomorrow" I asked, the smile the crossed her face made my breathe catch.

"What did you have in mind?" she asked huskily, desire was beginning to darken her eyes, sauntering slightly closer to me, I caught her intoxicating scent and all of a sudden all I wanted to do was tackle her to the ground and crush our lips together, before I could act on my impulse however Alice came bouncing out of the bushes giggling, pausing when she saw us, she walked over hesitantly.

"Hey" she greeted. Rosalie nodded in her direction, regaining control. Then Leah came crashing through the bushes then as well.

"Guess you lose" Alice drawled, "Thats such a shame" the pixie added, I wonder what went on there, then. Just then our ears were flooded with a loud scream of ecstasy, coming from the direction of our mansion, three miles away. _Well I'll be damned, _I thought as we all shared a look of surprise.

**TBC . . .**

**AN: So what did you think, loved it, hated it, let me know. Next chapter Bella and Rosalie go on a date, and I just realised having set this fic so far in the future I can't mention things like music, movies, books, so the date should be interesting to write. **


	6. Chapter 6

Title: Coming Home.

Pairings: Bella/Rosalie, Leah/Alice, Esme/Victoria.

Rating: M

Disclaimer: Nothing is mine, it all belongs to Stephanie Meyer.

Summary: The Cullens left in New Moon, Victoria changed Bella, together along with Jacob, Seth, and Leah they've lived in Forks for over a century. What happens when the Cullens come back.

**AN: Imma back so in this chapter we have the date with Rosalie and Bella its probably gonna be crap because of the whole, its the future I don't know what music and shit they have thing, Seth and Jacob make a discovery, and Leah and Alice get closer (possible lemons?). **

**Chapter six, more surprises and dates**

**Seth's POV.**

Where the hell was everyone? After the confrontation with fuckward last night I expected everyone to be stewing In the family room. After the the whole meeting had gone down me and Jacob had decided to give the girl's some space, partly because we didn't want to be on the receiving end of the "we hate everything male" campaign the girls probably started when we left. And partly because it was Billy Black's birthday today and Jacob had to keep up his big "I'm the man, I don't cry" persona. No he didn't cry he practically forces you to drink double shots of bourbon all frigging night, man, if I wasn't a shifter, I shudder at the thought of _that_ hangover.

Speaking of the he-man, look who just turned up.

"Hey" Jake greeted, "where is everyone?" he asked.

I shrug before saying " you check downstairs and I'll look upstairs" I move towards the stairs, when I realise Jacobs behind me.

"Ya know Jake, downstairs is that way" I said pointing behind me.

"Yeah, but if the girls were down here we would've scented them by now" my pack leader pointed out. Fair enough, I thought as we moved up the stairs, I knocked on Bella's door, before opening it, nothing. Jake did the same for Leah's room, nothing. We both moved to Victoria's room by this point I was assuming that the girls were on another "girl-talk" trip, so I pushed Victoria's door open to find the red headed vampire's naked body entwined with Esme Cullen's.

"OH SHIT THATS HOT! " Jacob exclaimed.

"MY EYES, THEY'RE BURNING!" I yell, running downstairs and out the door.

**Bella's POV,**

"You know I think its safe to go home" I say to the other three woman.

"Finally, those two put rabbits to shame" Leah growled.

"Yeah, but at least you didn't have to actually _listen_ to them, after all you can still sleep" I countered, listening to Esme scream how good a lover Victoria was, hadn't on the top of my life goals, but if it ever came up at least I could cross it off.

"You two are overeating, I think its sweet" Alice said, standing up from the crouch she'd been in for the past few hours.

"_Sweet_, Alice, those screams last night were the sounds of _your_ mother being soundly screwed by _our_ mother" I explained incredulously.

"Yeah, but lets face it when you're a vampire, nothing remains sacred, arguments, bonding moments and obviously our sex lives become public knowledge". Alice defended herself.

"And your saying thats a _good_ thing-" I say, not really knowing what shes getting at, "-Careful, Lee I think shes gonna turn you into an exhibitionist" I added to my sister.

"Eh, wasn't like I wasn't close already" Leah revealed before she could stop herself.

"Oh yeah, Leah do tell" Rosalie drawled with a sexy smile, facing the she-wolf and getting involved in the conversation.

"Hehe, actually I think Bella's right we should head home." Leah says hastily already trying to escape the clearing we had camped out in last night.

"Whoa no, you do not get to reveal that kind of information and walk away" Alice said catching her mate by the arm promptly bringing her to a stop. Leah looked at me, a pleading look on her face, "You've dug your own grave, my sister" I said making myself comfortable next to Rosalie on the large tree stump she'd been sat on for most of the night, I couldn't ignore the way she moved slightly closer to me, bathing me in her lush scent of fresh roses.

"Traitor" Leah growls in mock annoyance. I grin evilly at her, in a "Y_eah, what are you gonna do about it" _way. "Oh, this isn't over" Leah adds. _Hmm __I wonder if I should be scared. _Oh well, I'll worry about it later, because now my some-what-lose sister was about to reveal all.

"All right, it was back in 2053, I was in that retroish gay club up in Seattle, you know the one thats got purple neon lights, black marble walls with red tints, cages?" I nodded when I realised what club she was going on about, but didn't that night end with- "Any way, I was at the bar, when I saw this, brunette over by the DJ, after checking her out, not so subtly I must admit, I asked if if she wanted to dance, after getting her on the floor, shes starts grinding against me, so I trail my hand under her skirt" Leah shrugs slowly.

"Wait, your in the middle of the dance floor and you decide to fuck this skank you don't even know" Alice exclaimed, even I could hear the Jealousy in her voice "Uh well, yeah, pretty much and hell that woman had a set of lungs" Leah sighed "Thats what probably got us arrested for public indecency" Leah finished with a soft smirk. I chuckle softly, remembering when Victoria had walk out the door back in the day muttering about teenage hormones, and pain in the ass police.

"Hey at least, V can't tease you about hormones any more" I grin when I finish.

"Technically she can, after all if we weren't vampires we wouldn't have overheard them" Rosalie pointed out, Damn.

Leah sighed harshly, before looking at the angry pixie at her side who was scowling and tapping her foot irritably.

"Come on Alice, she meant nothing to me, hell I can barely remember what she looked like" Leah reasoned.

"Yeah, not to mention you were married before her" Rosalie interjected.

"Annnd, your the one who gets to be with her when mating season rolls around" I said dryly.

But before we got Alice's reply there was a loud shout.

"MY EYES, THEY'RE BURNING" was that Seth?, oops guess the boys found the happy couple.

**Victoria's POV, **

"If you value your life and a certain piece of your anatomy, run before I get up" I growled at Jacob, who was still standing in the middle of my door way frozen even when I jerked my satin sheets up, hiding my new-found-mate's bare body from the boy's stare. The territorial snarl that broke from my throat must have shocked Jacob back to reality because he quickly fled the house.

"Well that was efficiently the most horrifying moment of my life" Esme commented from my side.

"Stick around, I can promise you haven't seen anything yet" I purred taking her lips in a chaste kiss, smiling against my lips she pulled away from me.

"I not going anywhere but the prospect of the kids hearing us again is-" She shook her head slightly embarrassed.

"Well next time we'll tell them to go and play outside, in Canada" I smirked remembering the way my caramel haired lover had screamed my name all through the night, and she wasn't the only one who ended up screaming last night, I shuddered in pleasure, remembering when Esme had decided to take charge.

"But we _had _better get dressed" I grumbled, I could spend years just lazing in bed with Esme, among other things. Climbing out of my king sized bed I walked naked over to my walk-in closet, deciding on black slacks and a purple camisole also pulling a red demi-bra and thong from a shelf, now that I had my outfit it was time for a shower. Heading out into the bedroom I found myself admiring Esme's still bare form on my, _no, our bed,_ she was staring at the ceiling thinking, as much as I wanted to know what about, I just didn't want to discuss Carlisle or Edward, though another confrontation with the two was inevitable.

"Wanna help me wash my back?" I drawled, her eyes went met mine and a smile lit up her face.

"Love to" she said softly, rising off the bed she walked towards me rolling her hips seductively. _Kids, Canada NOW._

**Rosalie's POV,**

What the hell was that or should I say who was that. As the loud male shout filled my ears. Suddenly the younger shifter Seth burst out into our clearing.

"Found the moms, then" Bella drawled. I smiled at how confident Bella was now, It was unbelievably sexy.

"They're-" Seth trailed off still in shock.

"Its called having sex little brother, you've had that right?" Leah asked with a smirk.

I watched in amusement as Seth glared at Leah.

"Of course I've had sex Lee, I just don't expect to come home to find Victoria in bed with Esme Cullen, isn't she married?" Seth growled.

"Yeah I kinda think that ship has sunk" Alice said from Leah's side, those two had become inseparable so in just twenty-four hours, it amazed me, I could only hope me and Bella could get that connection.

"Huh, well then-" Seth didn't get a chance to finish because Jacob came bounding through the bushes.

"Shes gonna kill me!" the alpha male yelled.

"Why, what did you do?" Bella asked impatiently.

"Well I'm might have ogled, Esme" Jacob finished timidly.

"Gah, how many times do I have to tell you, don't ogle a vampires mate, it tends to piss them off!" Bella yelled, it was true, vampires were know to be very territorial over their mates for the first sixty years of their lives together. An image of Bella growling at anyone that came too close to me filled my mind's-eye, that was the only thing I truly wanted, Bella as my mate, forever. We all decided to return to the house, with Jacob hiding behind Leah and Seth, I rolled my eyes, once their antics would have annoyed me, now I just found it amusing. Catching a glance of Bella she had a wide smile on her flawless face as she studied her pack brothers, just that smile alone had the ability to take my breath away.

Finally the house came into view and we all listened carefully, no one wanted to interrupt the happy couple and end up having our heads ripped off. Entering the house we all headed into the spacious kitchen where a faint rustling could be heard.

"Finally, I was beginning to think you lot got lost" Victoria greeted us loudly.

"Is it safe?" Jacob called out.

"Yeah Jake I think its safe" I spoke entering the kitchen ahead of the rest, and sitting across from Esme, keeping a careful eye on Victoria's reaction, while I did so. The red head just kept going about her task of preparing breakfast for the shifters. Soon we were all seated around the table, Esme practically in Victoria's lap, Leah and Alice were talking so quietly I couldn't hear a word they said and Seth and Jacob were hovering the food like it was their last meal.

"You wanna go for a walk, before school" Bella asked me, I was surprised but followed her out the door anyway, ignoring the knowing smiles on the faces of my family, wait _my_ family where had that come from.

We both ran to the beach that was located about a mile away from the house. Slowing when we felt sand beneath our feet. Staying close to Bella's side we walked lazily down the beach, taking in the early morning light, it looked like it was going to be one of Fork's unusual sunny days. Before I knew what was happening I felt Bella's hand clasp my own, I smiled in delight at the simple touch.

"I just wanted to say that I think your amazing, smart and utterly beautiful, I could totally see myself spending eternity with you, and I wanted to know whether you wanted to be my mate" Bella spoke softly. My un-beating heart sang in happiness at the prospect, Bella may not love me yet, and even if she never did, she would be mine and I could love her enough for both of us.

"Bella you know how I feel, eternity with you is the only thing I need."

Smiling I tilted my head upwards slightly, and as the sun rose and made our skin shine like diamonds, we kissed gently.

**Alice's POV,**

As Bella and Rose headed out the door, a vision came to me, a vision of them kissing on the beach, I grinned and looked at Leah, sensing my gaze she turned to me, I suddenly needed her like I never needed anyone before.

"Its gonna be a sunny day, wanna go up-stairs and show me just how well you do indecency" I whispered in her ear. I found myself in her arms as she carried me upstairs. All but ripping each other's clothes off, my she-wolf set me down the bottom on her large four poster bed.

"Move up" she gripped my hips, easing me further on the mattress, my eyes went wide from excitement and my nipples tightened as I did as instructed sliding up on the bed.

"There you go," she whispered as her hand smoothed between my breasts to my flat abdomen. She leaned down and ruthlessly took my lips, I opened them, instantly granting her access to my hot mouth. Slowly drawing back she trailed hot kisses down to my sensitive nipples, which were already so hard the were almost painful, alternately sucking each nipple I jerked at the sensations, it was causing, soon my pussy was dripping for her, and she had barely even begun.

"Now lets spread those pretty little thighs." she forced my legs apart, smiling when when I bucked my hips up to her as she slid down to my hot core, I jerked when I felt her hot breath on my wet clit, and my little moans filled the silence of the room.

Leah moved between my thighs holding the upper parts, her thumbs were within inches of my glistening pussy.

"Leah" I whimpered when she lowered her head, I cried out loudly when her tongue slid through the narrow channel of my pussy and her fingers tucked against the entrance of my ass.

I could feel the tight muscles of my ass flexing, sucking her fingers inside me, while her tongue began to lap at the quivering folds of my pussy. My clit throbbed against her tongue and I bucked my hips upwards trying to get closer to her seeking mouth, the action caused her fingers to slip from me, but she quickly started to push them back inside me, pumping them hard inside me. The combination of her sucking my clit and thrusting her fingers inside my tight asshole did as Leah anticipated, my entire body stiffened just as my anal muscles locked on her pounding fingers, my scream echoed around us as I shuddered in my orgasm.

"Oh my God Leah I love you!"

**AN: So what did you think, good or bad, i don't care which just let me know. Now for the next chapter Edward comes back into things, oh the impending joy, NOT. Until next time**


	7. Chapter 7

Title: Coming Home.

Pairings: Bella/Rosalie, Leah/Alice, Esme/Victoria.

Rating: M

Disclaimer: Nothing is mine, it all belongs to Stephanie Meyer.

Summary: The Cullens left in New Moon, Victoria changed Bella, together along with Jacob, Seth, and Leah they've lived in Forks for over a century. What happens when the Cullens come back.

**AN: I'm back, and good news my exams are officially over!, know what that means, longer chapters cause revision is out the window YAY! **

**Anyway last chapter, the message I was trying to get across was that Bella was really confused about her feelings towards Rose, but maybe I wasn't clear enough (sorry), hope this chapter is better, although team jackass is back so it all depends on how you look at it.**

**Chapter seven, learning to love.**

**Bella's POV**

Since asking Rose to be my mate, things had been almost surreal, all of us had settled into a routine, family time, school, more family time. Under any other circumstances it would have been boring but catching up with Alice and Rose was on the top of my priorities. All of us were sat in our now remodelled family room. Jacob and Seth were over in the corner playing pool on our obscenely large pool table, those boys loved their toys, they even managed to get Victoria to have a game room built on the second floor, _I swear those two were never __gonna grow up, _me, Rose, Alice and Leah were all sat on our plush tan leather couches, idly sharing stories about our lives, and Rosalie had some pretty good ones, it was amazing to learn how up themselves Edward and Carlisle had become, but apparently no on knew why.

"...so,yeah now not even Tanya wants him and shes been on her own for almost twelve hundred years, I'd feel sorry for her if she wasn't such a bitch." Rosalie finished.

"Yeah thats why the two of you got on so well for the first fifty years" Alice giggled from beside Leah.

"Hey! I was never that bad, jeez she made me look all warm and fuzzy" Rosalie defended herself.

"Come on, Ali lay off" I mock growl at the pixie, who just looked amused.

"Hey I hope you kids are playing nicely" Victoria said, just coming back from her hunt with Esme, and surprisingly thats all they did, those two were worse than rabbits, although its not like I didn't know where they were coming from, for the past few days the urge to mark Rosalie was becoming a distraction.

"Of course we're playing nicely, what do you take us for?" I drawled lazily.

Victoria chuckled softly, "I'm not gonna answer that one" the red head smirked at Alice and Leah, who both shared a slightly embarrassed look.

"Babe, leave them alone." Esme said softly, coming into view beside her new mate. _Babe, _I mouthed to Rosalie, who's sculpted lips pulled into a sexy smirk, and she tilled her shoulders in a slight shrug. Huh never would've pegged Esme for a _babe_ type, but then Victoria was definitely bringing out a new side in the petite, motherly vampire. Jacob and Seth came over then with a sly look on their faces, _Mm three guesses on what they want._

"So can we have dinner now, we're starving" Jacob pleaded with puppy dog eyes.

"Yes, I suppose" Victoria sighed, heading towards the kitchen, with the boys on her heels.

"So what have you guys been up to" Esme asked softly, settling down beside Alice and Leah, on the slightly longer couch.

"Reliving old times" Alice chirped, "Yeah we were just saying how much we've all changed" Rosalie explained, I noticed the slight darkening in Esme's eyes at her daughter's words.

"Yes we've all changed, though not all of us for the better" Esme said a little sadly, we all lowered their heads a little in silent agreement with her statement.

"At least everything's worked out all right now though" Leah said pulling Alice closer to her obviously trying to lighten the mood.

"Has it?, Edward and Carlisle are still out there and I seriously doubt they are just going to let us have our happy endings" I remarked, knowing what everyone was thinking.

Just then there was a light knock on the door, almost hesitant, _who could that be, everyone was already here. _We all shared a confused look, before I stood up and headed over to the door, opening it tentatively, I was met with the uncertain faces of Jasper and Emmett.

"Uh, hey" Emmett said quietly, so unlike the the excitable, booming man I remembered. Standing to the side I gestured for them to enter, both cautiously took the invitation, and walked into the family room, hearing the delighted sequel of Alice, I returned to my ever extending family. I found Alice hugging Jasper, Leah was watching this interaction with a slight scowl on her face, but at least she wasn't phasing and trying to bite Jasper's head off. Looking over to my blonde mate I found her in an embrace of her own with Emmett, a dangerous growl erupted from my throat as my animalistic side reminded me that Rosalie _still _didn't have my mark or my scent to warn Emmett that Rosalie was now my mate. Victoria was at my side almost instantaneously, placing a restraining hand on my bicep preventing me from attacking the overgrown male who had now realised my barely restrained rage was directed at solely at him. Breaking free of Emmett's bear hug Rosalie rushed over to me, one part of me was immediately soothed by her close proximity, and the other half roared in jealousy when it became clear to me that Emmett's scent was all over her, resulting in possessive growls to escape my clenched Jaws. Rosalie pressed herself into my body calming me slowly and my possessive growls turned into purrs of contentment, wrapping my arms around my mate's slender waist, I nuzzled her pale neck the urge to sink my teeth into her neck became overwhelming, heat bloomed in my lower stomach and my nipples tightened in arousal.

"Not here" Rosalie whispered into my ear, pulling me in the direction of the stairs, as I obediently followed my mate I sent one more warning snarl at Emmett. _Mine, Not yours, MINE._

**Rosalie's POV, **

Leading Bella towards the stairs, I couldn't help but feel aroused, the way she was nuzzling my neck I knew that by the end of this night I would bare her mark. I shivered lightly when I felt her teeth nip at my neck right where my shoulder and my neck came together, sending vibrations of pleasure down to my clit. Finally reaching the top of the stairs, I continued to pull her towards her bedroom, opening the door she kicked it shut before she started pushing me backwards to her majestic four poster bed all the while she began to lick and suck my neck, I moaned and buried my hands in her black-red hair as I fell backwards onto her bed with her braced on her arms above me.

"Now Bella, please now" I pleaded, the primal side of me wanted to be dominated. Snarling in satisfaction she sank her teeth into my neck, a sharp cry of bliss escaped my throat as she began to purr in contentment. She slowly released the abused area of my neck, pressing a soothing kiss to her mark, before rising herself to look down at me with a smirk gracing her lips.

"Who'd have thought that I would make Rosalie Hale beg" she drawled, her smirk transforming in to a grin.

"Hmm indeed, now shut up and make me do it again" I returned with my own grin, feeling ecstatic in the knowledge that the woman I loved had at last claimed me as hers.

"Your wish, my command" Bella teased before leaning down to capture my lips, sighing in pleasure at the connection, I trailed my hands down to her hips before stroking back up to her shoulders, gripping them tightly, when she gently bit at my lower lip demanding entrance, separating my lips swiftly I quickly slide my tongue out to tangle with hers, she tasted as sweet as strawberry's and as intoxicating as Venetian wine. Though I was loath to break the kiss, I needed to feel her naked skin, so I slide my hands down to the hem of her light blue T-shirt and pushed it up to reveal her pale toned abdomen, groaning as I ran my hand over the taunt muscles feeling them flex at my touch, getting the message she drew away from me and settled straddling my waist, I almost whimpered at the lost contact, but then she pulled her shirt over her head, displaying her toned muscles and her generous breasts, I moaned as the sight had a predictable effect on me, my already heating cunt suddenly felt like it was on fire, I moaned helplessly at the almost painful sensations. Then her lips were capturing mine again, just as I felt her reach for the bottom of my shirt, arching up slightly I assisted her in ridding me of the offending material. She seemed stunned looking at my body.

"Like what you see" I asked, sounding confident, but I desperately needed to know that I pleased her as much as she did me.

"You're perfect" she whispered, shifting her weight further down my body, she kissed and sucked the newly unveiled skin of my abdomen before she released the front clasp of my skimpy bra, exposing my generously rounded breasts, I groaned when she licked upwards and took my left nipple into her hot, wet mouth, she instantly started sucking the tip strongly making me writhe beneath her, I could feel her smiling as she lavished the same attention on the opposite breast, my soft panting filled the room and she used her skilled fingers to undo the front clasp of my pants, getting that much closer to my aching pussy, a strangled scream managed to break free of me when she dipped her hand into my lacy thong.

"Mm, Bella touch me please" I begged, however my tight pants prevented her from coming into full contact with my hot pussy, finally Bella growled in frustration before separating herself from me entirely so she could shed me of my confining pants and thong, I spread my legs giving her a view of my glistening cunt.

"Fuck you're so wet" Bella groaned, pushing her hand in between my legs, to rub my wet clit slow and hard, before plunging two fingers inside my cunt, I was so wet for her already it was like my body was sucking her inside me, I cried out in abandon feeling her stretch my inner muscles deliciously, I desperately clutched at her thighs, as she quickened her pounding thrusts, I could feel my orgasm building already, Bella, feeling my quivering muscles added a third finger and fucked me even faster. I could feel my orgasm about to hit just a little more-

But then I was momentarily distracted by angry shouting from downstairs.

"Ignore it" Bella growled, harshly fucking into me even harder, I couldn't stop little cries from falling from my lips as Bella used her thumb to rub my clit and quickened her thrusting yet again, Bella leaned down to rake her teeth over her bite mark before growling in my ear: "Cum for me Rose" that was what threw me over the edge, I shuddered violently and my inner muscles clamped down on Bella's fingers, I let out a loud scream of ecstasy, just as Bella's bedroom door was flung open, to reveal a fuming Edward.

**Edward's POV,**

Along with Carlisle I ran through the forest heading towards that shabby excuse for a house, I had given Bella enough space now it was time she realised that she belonged to me. And Esme hadn't returned to Carlisle, what was it with these women that they tried to fight the natural order of things, they had been chosen by the strongest males in our coven they should be worshipping us, instead they were playing hard-to-get, not to mention my so called brothers and sisters spending time with that bitch Victoria and those disgusting mutts, as though they hadn't tried to kill Carlisle, ungrateful bastards, they were lucky _I_ chose to keep them around.

"When we get there, we get our woman and we leave understand?" Carlisle shouted over to me. Oh please like I was going to let them get the better of us then not get them back honestly Carlisle could be such a simpleton sometimes.

As the white mansion came into view, I sped up a little more, eager to put my mate back where she belonged, _at my side like the pretty little decoration she was. _I smirked already planning our future together. Not bothering to knock I simply opened the front door and strutted inside, I was instantly met with the growling face of Emmett.

"Get out of my way you over sized buffoon" I said calmly, if he did want I wanted then I would refrain from doing any lasting damage to the oaf. _"Not a chance in hell you arrogant bastard" _I narrowed my eyes as his thoughts filled my head, as I made to push past him, the imbecile grabbed me and wrapped his hand around my neck pushing me back against the door.

"If you leave now I'll let you go safely" Emmett told me quietly, I swallowed reminding myself of my superiority.

"I'll leave when I have my mate" I sneered back at him struggling to break his hold on me.

"Let him go Emmett, he only wants what is rightfully his" I relaxed when I heard Carlisle's voice from behind me.

"Carlisle, for some strange reason I still have respect for you, so I'm going to _respectfully_ tell you to fuck off and leave Esme and Bella alone" Emmett stated, as Jasper and Victoria came around the corner, I hissed at the new arrivals, "_oh yeah thats is sooo intimidating" _I snarled and struggled even harder against Emmett's hold when that red headed bimbo's thoughts filled my head.

"Emmett, I'm the head of this family so I command you to release Edward, _now_" Carlisle said slowly as if explaining to a child.

"I don't think he wants to be part of _your family_ any more" Victoria drawled.

"Shut up and give us OUR MATES" Carlisle's last words were shouted and the older man's eyes turned black with helpless rage. Then Esme came around the corner and calmly tucked herself into Victoria's side the redhead immediately wrapped her arms around the smaller woman, Esme took a deep steadying breath before looking into Carlisle's now black eyes.

"I'm sorry Carlisle, but I don't love you any more, I haven't done for a while" Esme admitted softly. How could she do this to Carlisle, he could do so much better than Esme, but he still stayed with her I thought.

"Do you think I care what you think!" Carlisle snarled "All that matters Esme is that _I_ want you, if you really think that I'm going to _let _you stay with this...this unworthy bitch, then you've got any thing coming" Carlisle finished.

A loud deadly snarl filled the room:

"I think you need to leave before I do something I might not necessarily regret" Victoria growled. At this point all attention had been focused on the arguing between Carlisle and Victoria, using this I brought my knee into Emmett's mid section and used my vampire speed to find my mate, I could scent her upstairs.

Bursting into the room her scent was strongest in, I found my mate half naked and straddling my bitch of a sister fucking her like some common whore, suddenly a loud scream of rapture filled my ears.

"How could you do this to me!" I yelled as my Bella turned towards me. "Damn it Bella your mine, how could you betray me like this" I shouted. When Bella's eyes met mine I nearly recoiled in fear at the sight of Bella's eyes, there was no white to be seen, just pools of darkness. The only thing keeping me from retreating was the knowledge that Bella loved me, she couldn't hurt me even if she wanted to. Suddenly I was tackled to the ground and I grunted in pain when I felt fists slam into my face and upper body, I felt a searing pain as my arm was torn from my body.

"BELLA" I heard a voice yell from behind me as the weight disappeared and I curled into myself, whimpering, _how could she do this to me?._

"This isn't over" I heard Carlisle yell threateningly before he picked me up and fled.

**Emmett's POV,**

As I helped Jacob and Leah to restrain Bella I couldn't help but grin widely, Bella had managed to rip Edward's arm off before Victoria and Esme had told the three of us to intervene. _Hell shes turned into a spitfire, _I thought my grin getting impossibly wider, the second thought going through my head was that I'm glad Rose has got a mate that was capable of protecting her, also that Bella clearly made Rose happy, and so long as shes happy I'm happy. _Plus at least now I've got got a sister I can wrestle with, _I thought playfully.

**Leah's POV,**

Holding Bella back was like trying to restrain an enraged bull, no a bull would've given up already, fuck what was that bastard thinking barging into our house like that. Why couldn't he accept that Bella hated everything about him. Self centred jackass. _But at least she took his arm off _I thought smiling tightly, as Bella snarled again fighting to free herself from our hold, suddenly I saw her jerk her arm that Emmett was holding, which sent the large vampire flying through the wall he was standing close to, Jesus it was like she was a newborn again.

**Jacob's POV,**

_Christ, _I thought as Bella sent Emmett through the wall with a mere flick of her wrist, when had she gotten this strong, even when she'd been a newborn the combined strength of the coven had been enough to restrain her, I looked towards Victoria who had a bewildered look on her face, _okay so this wasn't normal._ I thought as Alice appeared seemingly out of no where, and grab Bella's now free arm.

"Jazz" Was all the pixie could yell as Bella began struggling against her clearly wanting to kill Edward, the blonde empath immediately sent calming waves towards Bella, who seemed more annoyed than calmed.

**Jasper's POV,**

What the hell was happening, I was using all my power to calm Bella who just seemed to get irritated.

"Its not working" I said feeling helpless.

"Keep trying" I heard Victoria say quietly as the red head moved towards Bella, bracing herself so that if her out of control child got past the three people holding her, the red head could stop her.

What the hell was happening to Bella, I knew she hated Edward and had every reason to but I had never seen someone become this enraged, something was happening to Bella I could feel it.

**Rosalie's POV,**

After watching Bella tackle Edward, and the idiot getting dragged out of the house by Carlisle I shrugged back into my shirt and thong, and rushed out to calm my mate who was currently being restrained by damn near the whole family, her eyes were still completely black, I frowned softly, I had never heard of that happening to a vampire before.

"Bella baby calm down" I said softly taking her face in between my hands and pressing our foreheads together so her complete attention was focused on me, but staring into her eyes I couldn't help the shiver of fear that racked my body, as if sensing my fear she instantly started purring comfortingly, and the blackness in her eyes faded, but then I gasped softly in shock, Bella's once golden eyes were now such a pale blue they seemed almost white.

**TBC . . .**

**AN: ooh fuck, whats happened to Bella then, any ideas?. Hope this makes up for any disappointments in past chapters. 'Til next time.**


	8. Chapter 8

Title: Coming Home.

Pairings: Bella/Rosalie, Leah/Alice, Esme/Victoria.

Rating: M

Disclaimer: Nothing is mine, it all belongs to Stephanie Meyer.

Summary: The Cullens left in New Moon, Victoria changed Bella, together along with Jacob, Seth, and Leah they've lived in Forks for over a century. What happens when the Cullens come back.

**AN: Thank you all for the great reviews, imma loving the feedback. Okay so Bella has turned into a mega vampire(congrats. If you guessed right), the hows and whys of it all will come into the story later on. And yeah, I feel that I should warn you now that this chapter has some angst sorry, but it had to be done. The Volturi and the Denali come into things as well. **

**Chapter eight, revelations and reactions.**

**Bella's POV**

I felt like a newborn again, uncertain of my capabilities and my control over them, during my first hunt after my _change _it was though the world froze, as I moved allowing for me to become a faster, stronger predator than I had been, my awareness of my surroundings had also been heightened, if I concentrated I could _feel_ the movements of animals and humans over a twenty mile radius surrounding me.

Unfortunately with these heightened scenes came a stronger need for nourishment, I was forced to hunt for several hours everyday feeding on whatever animal was unfortunate enough to cross my path and the hunger gnawing at my stomach just wouldn't fade no matter how much blood I ingested. But human blood didn't sing to me so what was I supposed to do?.

I was stood in the middle of the forest listening to the fluid movements around me, a herd of dear twelve miles to the south, a single mountain lion seventeen miles north-east, several grizzlies and human campers were scattered about in between, but I didn't feel the need to hunt them, and I knew instinctively their blood wouldn't satisfy my hungers any way. A slight noise from behind me caught my attention, I knew it was Rosalie, she was the only person who could manage to sneak up on me any more, the others I could sense from miles away, it was almost like my body registered everyone else as a threat, everyone but _her._

"Hey" She said greeted gently, coming over to stand beside me, any thoughts of even trying to hunt quickly diminished.

"Hey, back" I said absently turning to face the gorgeous blonde, who was nibbling on her lower lip nervously, I moved towards her slowly and pulled her into my arms, purring happily when I felt her arms go around my waist instantly.

"Whats wrong" I questioned, immediately wanting to kill whatever had a negative effect on her.

"So... we were wondering if you were up for school tomorrow, the principal phoned earlier, and hes getting suspicious" Rosalie said, releasing her lower lip and looking up at me from under her lashes, she looked so adorable.

"Yeah, so long as I don't have gym class, I think I can manage to keep myself under control a_nd _so long as no one annoys me too much" I concluded, whenever I was away from Rosalie, I was very easy to enrage, even a simple sound could irritate me, causing my eyes to flash completely black, and if that happened in the middle of class it would be a little hard to explain why, _oh no wait, we wouldn't have to explain cause they'd all be dead_, I thought remembering the last time I lost control, tossing Emmett through a wall just jerking my arm slightly. _Fuck what the hell had happened to me,_ I thought thoroughly confused.

"Victoria and Alice already thought of that so I transferred into all your classes" Rosalie said comfortingly.

"And what if my irrational jealousy makes an appearance, you'd be fucked, _literally"_ I drawled "Or what if..." I was cut off by Rosalie crushing our lips together, groaning slightly I kissed her back just as forcefully my core heating in almost instantaneous arousal, careful not to hurt her, I growled in sexual frustration when she drew back earning a smile from my mate.

"We'll deal with it, if and when it comes up" Rosalie said confidently pulling me in the direction of our house, I followed her obediently.

**Volterra, Italy, No one's POV.**

"-you know as well as we do that this threat has to be dealt with, _before _she learns how to use her powers" one voice said furiously.

"- it can't be helped brother, the girl _has_ to be destroyed, who knows what damage she could do" A passive voice agreed.

"- but imagine what we could achieve if she worked for us, no longer would we have to live among with the humans, for the love of the gods, we have been forced to play with our food for far too long" another determined voice proclaimed.

"- No we eliminate her, a fully fledged Fae has never been controlled before, willing or otherwise." the first voice said irritably.

"-Our brother has a point, Fae were notoriously volatile creatures, when they lose control, only their one true mate can bring them back to themselves, imagine the devastation she could do, if you so much as looked at her the wrong way" the second voice drawled.

"-but she has a mate, the Cullen girl, we'll simply _invite_ all the Cullens to Volterra, _convince_ the girl to live here, the Fae will have no choice but to serve us if she wants to stay with her mate" the third voice said gleefully.

"-Absolutely not, for one thing you're forgetting the current divide between the Cullens, second, if you tried to separate the girl from the Fae, the Fae would happily kill you, third, you would be endangering our entire coven, and finally inviting all the Cullens would involve us putting up with that snivelling bastard Edward and I have had enough of that little shit," The first voice commented dryly.

"-A very valid point Caius, anyway the Fae will slowly kill herself if she doesn't feed, and she won't know what to feed on unless one of us three tell her, so I suggest we leave her be" the second voice reasoned.

"-And what if she discovers that only the venom running through her mate's veins will satisfy her hunger, Marcus, what then" Caius asked of his brother.

"-Then we have bigger problems then just the Fae, if our people discover we have hidden this part of our heritage, we will be overthrown" Marcus answered absently.

"-I knew we shouldn't have betrayed the Fae I knew that that one day they would have their revenge" Caius ranted angrily.

"-Calm down Caius, the girl is the last of her kind, and whats more she doesn't even know it." The last voice stated.

"God damn it Aro, she doesn't _need _to know_ what she is, _to be a problem" Caius yelled.

"-Enough my bothers, we will leave the last Fae to her untimely death and then at last our war with our elders will come to an end." Marcus interjected.

**The Denali coven, Alaska.**

**No one's POV.**

"-That was Carlisle on the phone, seems Esme has finally found out what hes really like." A female voice drawled.

"-Huh always wondered when that would happen, so whats he want" Another female voice questioned.

"Well, he wants us to go down there and, as he put it _make_ her see sense" The first voice answered.

"-And how are we meant to do that" A third voice said, annoyance clear in her voice.

"-No idea, so we're staying here right, Tanya?" the first voice said.

"-Well I suppose we could always go and watch the fireworks" Tanya drawled.

"-you're right, that could be entertaining, but it means we get to deal with the little shit, _again. _I tell you if I _never _saw him again it would be too soon" The third voice stated.

"-Agreed, but I'll never understand why you let everyone think you were in love with him" The first voice said to Tanya.

"-Because dear Kate, Edward would always interrupt me when I tried to say otherwise, so I gave up trying." Tanya answered her sister.

"-Tanya, you dumb ass" The third voice growled in exasperation.

"-Thanks Irina, I love you too" Tanya drawled to her other sister.

**Several days later,**

**Back In Forks, Bella's POV.**

I stalked the mountain lion silently, hunger burning in my stomach but the scent of the lion wasn't enticing me, nevertheless I tensed my muscles lightly before pouncing on the majestic animal quickly snapping the animal's neck, as I didn't want to cause it any more distress or pain than necessary. Sinking my teeth into the limp animal's neck, I swiftly drained the lions blood, before gently lowering the lion to the ground. Suddenly an unbearable pain erupted in my abdomen, I clutched at my abdomen tightly, as I vomited the blood I had just ingested, the pain in my abdomen faded as all trace of the animal's blood left my body, the aching hunger returned almost instantly, and I felt weaker than I ever had before, almost human.

**Rosalie's POV,**

"Have you guys seen Bella" I asked entering the kitchen, finding Alice, Leah, Seth and Jacob sitting at the table, the shifters were devouring a mountain of food, _Hell you could probably feed a small country with all of that._

"She went hunting again" Alice responded. Again? She spent almost all her time hunting these days, and when she wasn't hunting she was at my side looking like she was in pain. But when I asked her about it, she said she was fine.

"Rose, she just needs time to get used to the changes" Alice said clearly just for my benefit.

"Yeah, sure" I said not convinced, sitting down next to the pixie. Bella had taken the heightened senses in her stride, whatever was bothering her now was something else entirely. Then the back door opened and Bella walked in, after closing the door she leaned against it with her eyes closed. I was by her side instantly, concern filling me, when Bella turned her head towards me and her eyes opened they were a dark blue-black.

"Bella whats wrong?" I said pulling her body against mine, I tried to ignore how weak her body felt to me as she answered.

"I can't feed" Bella said weakly, fear filled me.

"What do you mean" I asked confused.

"When I feed, my body rejects it" Bella said again, leaning on me heavily, lifting my mate into my arms.

"Get Victoria!" I snarled to Alice, the pixie instantly disappeared, the redhead was the oldest vampire in our family she would know what to do. _She just had to._

I carried Bella upstairs into our bedroom, placing her on our bed gently, before settling myself next to her, I wrapped my arms around her nuzzling the top of her head gently. The next instant, Victoria burst into the room, shock filled the red head's expression as she swiftly moved towards us.

"Bella, can you hear me" Victoria asked my mate gently, looking down to Bella fear held me immobile as I realised her eyes were shut and her entire body was getting unnaturally colder than a vampire's should be.

"I can hear you, V" Bella whispered.

"What the hell is happening" I growled to the red head. _Please let her know something, I can't lose Bella, I only just found her again._

"I honestly don't know Rose, all we can do is hope she gets better" Victoria said her eyes shining brightly the only sign of distress on the red heads ageless face. I felt my own eyes begin to burn as I looked down at my weakening mate, small whimpers of pain were coming from her. I buried my face in her red-black hair inhaling her unique scent deeply.

**Alice's POV,**

I passed back and forward at vampire speed, what was causing this, since Bella's change she had constantly been getting stronger and faster. So what had happened. Victoria came into the kitchen then, the misery on her face said it all, _she doesn't know what to do._

"I'm going to find Laurent, maybe he knows something" Victoria said barely above a whisper.

"And if he doesn't" I asked as helplessness filled me.

"Alice, Bella is in agony, if she doesn't recover..." Victoria clenched her eyelids shut at the mere thought of losing her child.

"I should go, before he has the chance to move again." Victoria said before running out the door.

**Rosalie's POV,**

Bella's whimpers were getting louder and she was clutching at my shoulders with crushing force, I took the pain gladly, I would do anything if it would stop _her_ pain. I stroked her back lovingly, offering what little comfort I could. I felt her begin to nuzzle my throat softly, right before her sharp teeth sank into my neck, breaking through my skin she began so suck my venom into her body, I groaned at the pleasure/pain of Bella's bite, cupping the back of her head closer to me, when I felt the strength begin to return to her body. When Bella stopped feeding, she was purring softly I looked into Bella's eyes as they returned to light blue, relief flooded me as she smiled at me. But there was still a nagging thought in the back of my mind, _What was she. _Ignoring it for now,I leaned forward and pressed my lips against hers softly, frowning when she pulled away.

"Rose, I love you" Bella stated, I grinned in happiness.

"I love you too" I said before capturing her lips again.

**Cullen manor,**

**Carlisle's POV**

They were finally here, how long did it take to get here from Alaska, I had phoned then over four days ago, I thought as the three woman filed into the front room.

"What took you so long" I demanded of Tanya, the tall blonde woman merely smirked before taking a seat on the couch.

"I had more pressing business to attend to" Tanya drawled her smirk getting bigger.

"What could be more important than my happiness" I snarled, I still couldn't believe Esme had left me, after everything I had done for her.

"Oh you don't really want to know do you" Irina questioned as both her and Kate sat down beside their sister.

"No I really don't, but next time you'd better be here when I tell you to" I growled, what was so hard about doing what I want when I tell them to do it.

"Careful boy, I don't have to do a damn thing you say, and you'd better remember that" Tanya snarled in warning, before I could put the disrespectful Russian woman in her place, my pride and joy entered the room.

"Such disrespect Tanya, you know I don't like it when people forget their place" Edward sneered as he came closer to Tanya, the woman had wanted to be my sons mate for over one hundred and fifty years.

"Why would I care about your preferences..." Tanya broke off suddenly sniggering "...so...uh what happened to your arm" Tanya managed to finish, even as her blonde sisters erupted in laughter.

"Stop laughing!" Edward hissed at them.

"Tanya, get a hold over yourself, my son had his arm torn of when he fought with a very large bear" I lied annoyed at Tanya's behaviour.

"Wait, you got your arm torn off by an animal, what the hell kind of vampire are you" Kate said before laughing again, Tanya was giggling into her closed fist.

"Oh and when was the last time you fought with a bear" Edward growled at Kate, who was laughing into Tanya's shoulder.

"Uh Kate makes a point of hunting a bear at least once a month" Tanya answered for her sister, earning her a hateful glare from Edward.

"Enough, Tanya lets discuss this in my study" I growl at Tanya, who was wearing a bemused smile on her face.

**TBC . . .**

**AN: So what did you think, anything I can improve on, anything you want to see happen, let me know. Until next time.**


	9. Chapter 9

Title: Coming Home.

Pairings: Bella/Rosalie, Leah/Alice, Esme/Victoria.

Rating: M

Disclaimer: Nothing is mine, it all belongs to Stephanie Meyer.

Summary: The Cullens left in New Moon, Victoria changed Bella, together along with Jacob, Seth, and Leah they've lived in Forks for over a century. What happens when the Cullens come back.

**AN: So then I'm back, and let me start off by thanking all of you for your reviews, makes me happy to know I can entertain you, now then in this chapter Victoria comes back with Laurent, Eleazar and Carmen, Tanya and the girls come to visit Bella and the crew, and you get a little more insight into the Volturi's BIG secret.**

**Chapter nine**

**Bella's POV.**

I was sat on a timber bench in our garage watching Rosalie give the the cars their much needed once over. My blonde mate was currently bent over slightly, checking the battery of Jacob's old Lexus RX 450h, the shifter had been so reluctant to upgrade that all of us had given up trying to convince him, Rosalie shifted slightly attracting my gaze to her curvy backside, I smirked softly already planning how I was going to get her back upstairs to our bedroom.

"So it looks okay, but damn this model is ancient" Rosalie drawled, wiping her greasy hands clean on a rag she'd stuffed into the back pocket of her overalls which were tied at her waist.

"Uh huh, tell it to Jake not me" I said absently, still focused on Rosalie's firm backside, maybe I should feint needing to feed again, except damn it I'd already used that excuse once today, a smile crossed my lips remembering Rosalie's screams of pleasure. Just then I heard movement out side the garage, tilting my head to the side and listening I discovered it was only Esme, the petite blonde was on the phone with Victoria, coming into the garage Esme sat on the bench next to me.

"...Honey, shes fine...yes, I'm sure...here you talk some sense into her" Esme said to me, handing me her cell phone, sharing a smile with the older woman I took the phone from her and raised it to my ear.

"Aww, V you missing me already, I'm touched" I drawled sarcastically, knowing of my makers distaste for mushy emotions.

"...Hardly smart-ass, I was just checking" Victoria retorted, but I could hear the relief in her voice.

"So, you coming home, I could use one of your hugs" I said softly genuinely missing my makers presence. The next thing I knew Rosalie was practically in my lap nuzzling my neck comfortingly. I wrapped my arm around her waist and lifted her so she was straddling my thighs, I pressed my forehead against hers and looked into her golden eyes, purring in contentment.

"Rosalie is in your lap isn't she?" Victoria's voice flooded my ear, reminding me that I was on the phone.

"How did you know" I questioned smiling at Rosalie gently.

"Because I can hear you purring and you only purr for Rosalie, anyway yes I'm coming home and I'm bringing Laurent as well as two of his acquaintances Eleazar and Carmen, Eleazar says he knows something about your change" Victoria explained.

"Eleazar and Carmen? Aren't they part of Denali" I asked remembering when the Cullens had mentioned their extended family.

"Yes but it seems that the Denali have had enough of those assholes, and it turns out that Tanya and her sisters are at Cullen manor as we speak" Victoria commented.

"Should I be worried" I drawled slowly knowing that if the Denali sisters made a single aggressive move I could easily take care of them single handedly.

"As if Bella, according to my new friends Tanya has only come down in person to sever all of her ties with Carlisle." Victoria replied.

"Thats good news I suppose" I commented looking at both Esme and Rosalie who looked very surprised.

"Anyway I'm about to lose signal so I'll see you when I get home" Victoria said effectively ending our conversation, as the line went dead. I rolled my eyes at the phone as I flipped it closed and passed it back to Esme.

"We'd better go wait inside" I sighed roughly, eager to finally find out what I had changed into, even if I had to rely on a Denali to find out, me and Esme waited as Rosalie quickly shed her overalls to reveal light grey nylon pants, before exiting the garage.

"Very odd, Tanya has always had a strong relationship with Carlisle, well before I was turned" Esme said as all three of us headed towards the house.

"How old are they exactly" I asked as we entered our large mansion.

"Tanya and her sisters are over a thousand years old, Eleazar and Carmen were changed in the seventeen hundreds, although Eleazar was once a guard for the Volturi so he has knowledge far beyond his years " Esme answered slowly before moving into the kitchen to start dinner for the shifters. I softly pulled Rosalie over towards the leather couch, settling down with her next to me, I turned to face her.

"How are you feeling" I wondered aloud, ever since I had started feeding off of her, we hadn't really had a chance to talk without one of our family members interrupting.

"Worried more than anything, I mean after every kind of supernatural being I have come into contact with over the years, I've never heard rumours of someone having your capabilities, much less anything else" Rosalie admitted softly, lowering her head and hiding her stunning face behind a curtain of her pale blonde hair. I reached up and cupped her jaw, gently coaxing her to look at me.

"I'm gonna be fine, even if I never find out what I am, at least I not going to die from starvation" I drawled, pointedly looking at Rosalie's neck where my mark was clearly shown, to the human eye it would look like a small circular scar, it also happened to be the same place I liked to feed from. Rosalie's eyes darkened instantly and the faint scent of her arousal drifted up to my nostrils, making me purr involuntarily. Leaning forward I possessed Rosalie's perfect lips with my own, I gently fisted one of my hands in her hair as she climbed into my lap, I could feel how hot she was already, I slowly trailed my other hand down to her breasts, cupping one of the soft weights before lavishing the same attention on its twin. Rosalie mewled against my lips, opening her mouth she trailed her hot tongue over my lower lip, moaning softly I opened my mouth for her and she instantly rubbed her tongue against mine she tasted as sweet and as addictive as Belgian chocolate, I swiftly tangled my tongue with hers, right before I slide my hand further down to cup her hot pussy through the material of her pants, I smiled at the hot little cry she released when I rubbed her covered clit as hard as I could, she instantly started grinding herself against my hand. I became so wrapped up in her scent and the hot little moans leaving Rosalie's mouth that I didn't notice when Jacob and Jasper walked into the room.

"Well isn't that a sight for sore eyes" Jacob drawled grinning widely until I separated myself from Rosalie's sweet mouth to glare at my brother.

"If you don't stop looking at my mate like that you wont have any eyes" I snarled as I felt the now familiar jealousy rising, the thought of anyone other than me smelling Rosalie's arousal or watching as she reached her orgasm, made me want to rip the damn house apart. Growling dangerously low, I was about to shift Rosalie to the side so I could attack the hormonal shifter when I felt Rosalie's soothing hands cup the side of my face, any thoughts of violence instantly fled and I closed my eyes feeling absolute bliss at my mates touch.

"Well don't look at me boy, you shouldn't ogle a vampire's mate" I smiled in amusement at Jasper's words.

"Damn it, why does everyone keep saying that" Jacob exclaimed.

"Because its true" Me, Rosalie and Jasper all said in perfect synch.

**Tanya's POV.**

I sat in Carlisle's luxurious study for the umpteenth time this week, trying to drown out his obnoxious voice yet again. It was always me, me, me with him, I don't know how I put up with it all these years, but then Esme had always managed to shut him up before his true nature made itself known. Now that the smaller blonde had left the elder Cullen however he had turned into a complete ass, he wanted me to help to get Esme back, what did he expect me to do, march over there and order her back to him, Jeez this wasn't the 17th century any more woman had rights.

"Look Carlisle, I don't know what you want me to do. If Esme doesn't want to be with you any more I'm not going to be able to change her mind, you are just going to have to accept that she is happier with this Victoria than she was with you." I tried to reason with the fuming man.

"No Tanya, I don't have to accept anything, I'm going to get Esme back with or without you, now then you are going to..." Carlisle started. "_With or without me" then why the hell did you even call me, _I thought getting annoyed at his behaviour.

"Then you can do whatever you want but I will have no part of it" I said interrupting him mid-sentence, rising from my chair and walking at a humans pace towards the door, suddenly I was jerked to a stop, looking down I saw Carlisle's hand on my bicep.

"Maybe you didn't quite understand me, you are going to get me want I want and then maybe I'll convince Edward to take two mates" Carlisle sneered in my face, growling in annoyance I swung my free hand into Carlisle's face sending the blonde man flying back into his desk, sending pieces of wood everywhere.

"Now allow me to make this _very_ clear, you self centred bastard, I'm taking my family back home to Denali and I suggest that you never contact me again." I said calmly before turning back to the door.

"And if you ever felt love for Esme you will be content in the knowledge that she is happy with someone else" I shot over my shoulder. Walking back into the front room I found Kate wearing a wide grin and Irina was pouting with her arms crossed over her breasts.

"What did you do now" I said to Kate.

"Well we made a little bet on how long it would take for you to hit him" Kate answered her grin getting even wider silently saying that she had won.

"Making money off my misery, Kate darling how could you" I said dramatically holding my hands over my un-beating heart.

"Bitch, please you are not the only one whose been miserable the past couple of days" Kate said sarcastically.

"Mmm guess you're right, speaking of which where is Edward" I asked finally noticing he wasn't glowering over my "improper" sisters.

"Nope, I have no idea where he is, do you Irina" Kate said innocently, rising up off of the couch and moved past me.

"No I'm afraid I don't" Irina said quickly following Kate out the door. Oh well, whatever they'd done with him he probably deserved it.

**Leah's POV,**

I was laying on the couch with Alice laying on top of me. We were watching one of the pixie's fashion shows when the front door opened to reveal Victoria and Laurent and a couple I had never seen before entered the family room.

"Hey guys where is Bella and Esme" Victoria asked swiftly, I rolled my eyes typical Victoria.

"Well I think Esme is in the kitchen as for Bella I have no idea where she is" I answered as Alice slowly climbed off of me and raced to embrace the other vampires that I hadn't met before.

"Eleazar, Carmen this is my mate Leah, Leah this is Eleazar and Carmen my cousins" I quickly rose off of the couch and went over to greet them.

"Pleasure to meet you Leah" Carmen said extending her hand towards me.

"And you" I said curtly before taking the extended hand in a firm handshake.

"Good to see you again, Leah" Laurent said in his French accent.

"Laurent" I greeted, I was still a little uncertain about the Frenchmen as his eyes were a muddy brown a clear sign that he drank both human and animal blood, however Victoria had already warned him not to drink from a human in Forks, preventing me, Seth and Jake from having to kill him.

Just then Bella and Rosalie came into the house, smiling widely at each other.

"Carmen, Eleazar its been too long" Rosalie greeted, as the two came further into the family room.

"And you Rosalie, so this must be the infamous Bella" Eleazar said softly, glancing at my sister who had wrapped her arms around Rosalie's waist cradling the blonde from behind.

"That'd be me" Bella drawled softly.

As we all moved towards the couches, Esme came into the room and quickly moved into Victoria's waiting arms, the two shared a chaste kiss. _Okay moment of truth_ I thought as I waited for Eleazar to speak.

**Rosalie's POV.**

I sat down on the couch opposite Eleazar, with Bella at my side I could feel the tension rolling off of her in waves. I reached for her hand and I entwined our fingers together offering silent support, I smiled when she squeezed my hand gently in acceptance.

"I'm not sure if you were aware that I was once a guard for the Volturi Bella" Eleazar began "When I served them, Aro placed immense trust in me, over time, I heard a lot of rumours about an ancient race of beings called Fae. They were the predecessors' of the vampires, you see the fae were so much stronger that they needed to consume a lot more blood on an every day basis. And because they were constantly hungry it made them very temperamental creatures, they could rage for weeks on end destroying and killing everything that got in their way. One Fae named Akasha, longed for someone to tame her anger and to sate her hunger, one day she came upon a human called Elana, rumour has it that the moment Akasha looked into Elana's eyes the need to destroy faded. After that Akasha never left Elana's side, but soon her hunger returned and one night she couldn't control herself..." Eleazar trailed off slightly, I could already guess what happened next.

"Akasha was able to stop herself from draining Elana completely but by that time Elana had still lost too much blood. Akasha stayed by Elana's side waiting for the inevitable, only it didn't come. Over the next three days Elana changed into a stronger being not quite as powerful as Akasha but stronger than a human something we now call a vampire, and since that night on only Elana's venom could keep Akasha alive. Over the next few centuries most of the Fae found their mates in humans and changed them into vampires" Eleazar finished looking into Bella's eyes.

"So what you're saying is that Bella is a Fae" I spoke softly.

"Yes I believe so" Eleazar answered.

"Wait, if Bella is a Fae, why didn't we notice sooner" Alice asked.

"I couldn't possible say" Eleazar said softly.

"What happened to the Fae" Bella whispered.

"I wished I knew Bella I really do, the Volturi know something I'm sure of it, but I never did find out what" Eleazar commented. I turned to face Bella I could clearly read the indecision in her face, I squeezed her hand gently.

"I'm fine" Bella said to me, I could tell she wasn't but I didn't want to make a big deal in front of the family.

"Thank you for that information Eleazar" Esme said quietly from her place next to Victoria. Eleazar nodded swiftly in acceptance of her thanks.

"Theres someone outside" Bella said softly before heading towards the front door I followed closely, I could only imagine the amount of confusion Bella was feeling but I wanted her to know that I was there for her if she needed me. Bella opened the door to reveal the blonde sisters of Denali, Tanya had her fist ready to knock.

"Damn was I that loud" Tanya wondered aloud lowering her fist I smirked softly at her statement.

"What do you want Tanya" I growled wrapping my arm around Bella's waist in a possessive move, I knew of Tanya's promiscuous reputation and I didn't want her closer to Bella than absolutely necessary.

"Well, we were in the area and I thought to myself seeing as I just told Carlisle to go fuck himself I might want to see If I was still on good terms with the rest of your family" Tanya drawled slowly.

"You'd better come in" Bella answered before I could.

"Thank you, Bella? I presume" Tanya said with a sexy grin.

"Thats me" Bella said moving to the side offering the blonde sisters entrance into our house.

"So nice to finally meet you" Tanya drawled out huskily holding out her hand in greeting. I watched as my mate shook each of their hands, I barely contained my jealous growl when Kate stroked Bella's wrist and winked at her. Ushering the elder vampires into the family room hurriedly before I pushed Bella into the wall behind her and roughly crushed my lips to hers, I needed her to have my scent on her skin to warn everyone that she was mated. I bit at Bella's lip, when she opened I pumped my tongue into the hot sweetness of her mouth, moaning softly at her taste I placed my hands on her hips pulling her firmly against me, our bodies fit together perfectly. She fisted her hands in my hair pulling my head back slightly so she could control our kiss. She plunged her tongue into my mouth, I closed my lips on it and sucked on her tongue lightly, before I opened my mouth and tangled my tongue with hers.

"Hey if you two are going to have sex, do it upstairs not in my hallway" Victoria called out to us. Separating slowly we shared an intimate smile, before Bella pulled me in the direction of our bedroom. Bella pushed the door open and we both stumbled in quickly before shutting the door behind us, I gasped softly when Bella pushed me back against the door, she captured my lips in a lingering kiss, before she pulled away and she started to undo the buttons of my blouse in the same instant I reached for the hem of her black T-shirt, Identical growls of frustration left both our lips before we ripped the offending materials off of each other, I groaned as her generous breasts were revealed to my eyes, reaching up I tore her black lacy bra off and quickly took one of her rosy nipples into my mouth, delighting at the harsh snarl that left her throat when I sucked on her nipple hard.

"Mmm Shit, Rose just like that" Bella moaned. Smiling against her flesh I nibbled my way over to her other breast, I licked the tight tip before raking my teeth over it gently, before sucking it into my mouth. I reached down to undo the the buttons of her jeans, shoving them down to her knees I slide my hand into her black thong, cupping the hot flesh of her cunt she moaned loudly and I sucked her nipple even harder, just as I rubbed her clit with my middle finger, loving the feel of her wet cunt against my fingers.

"Damn it Rose fuck me already" Bella growled, letting go of her nipple I leaned upwards to press my lips against hers, just as her hips bucked into my hand.

"Soon, but first I want to hear you beg" I said against her sculpted lips as I dipped one finger down to Bella's soaking entrance I pressed my finger tip into her before slowly pumping it in her a few times before withdrawing my finger and and circling her clit again tortuously slow. Bella's panting filled my ear as I repeated the motion.

"For the love of god Rose _please_ fuck me" Bella finally begged.

"Good girl" I whispered into her ear right before I slammed three of my fingers into her throbbing cunt I quickly set a ruthless pounding rhythm that had her mewling in helpless arousal in my ear, she was soon bucking her hips into my thrusting fingers. I curled my fingers slightly finding her G-spot, everyone of my thrusts hit her hot spot, I sped up my pounding until I felt her inner muscles clamp down on my fingers. Bella's scream of pleasure echoed around me right before she sank her teeth into my neck. I groaned between clenched teeth as I felt her suck my venom into her, unfortunately she didn't feed long enough for my liking and she was soon licking the wound lazily, as her body recovered from her orgasm.

"Your turn" Was all the warning I got before I found myself being jerked across the room and forcibly bent over our large bed, I growled when she placed a retraining hand on my lower back, I felt her hands cup my ass just before she ripped my pants from my body.

"I've been wanting to do this all day" She purred in my ear, I moaned when I felt her press her breasts into my back. I felt her rip my thong off before she rubbed her fingers against my wet pussy, I arched up trying to increase the delicious friction, moaning when two of her fingers finally spread my tight inner muscles slowly, thrusting them gently inside me she curled them and rubbed them against my G-spot, I gasped loudly when the hot friction increased and I could feel the familiar tightening in my lower abdomen as her thrusts got harder and faster, my panting filled the silence of our room. I began thrusting back into her pumping fingers, groaning at the pleasurable sensations, Bella added another finger and dragged her curled fingertips against my hot-spot several times, I exploded and a muted scream left my throat as my fiery orgasm tore through every muscle in my body, I shuddered violently and and I could feel my inner muscles clenching and unclenching on Bella's fingers tightly.

"I love you" She whispered in my ear, and I felt complete.

"I love you too" I said weakly back to her.

**Volterra, Italy**

**Aro's POV.**

I looked at my brothers, how could they not see the potential of having a Fae serving us. Caius wanted to kill the girl and Marcus just wanted to leave the girl alone. Well I wouldn't do either, I dismissed myself before walking out into the foyer.

"Gianna, would you invite the Cullens for a visit please" I said to the human girl who obediently pick the phone and dialled.

"Hello, Carlisle..." As the girl began to talk, I walked through a series of tunnels to the quarters where my dear Jane resided.

**TBC . . . **

**AN: So what did you think, let me know. The next chapter should be up within the next couple of days hopefully. 'Til next time.**


	10. Chapter 10

Title: Coming Home.

Pairings: Bella/Rosalie, Leah/Alice, Esme/Victoria.

Rating: M

Disclaimer: Nothing is mine, it all belongs to Stephanie Meyer.

Summary: The Cullens left in New Moon, Victoria changed Bella, together along with Jacob, Seth, and Leah they've lived in Forks for over a century. What happens when the Cullens come back.

**AN: Thanks for the reviews, I love you guys. Now then this chapter you have matings galore, you have Emmett and Jasper falling for Two of the Denali, Laurent finds his soulmate in Irina, the witch twins make an appearance. And as requested Rosalie gets a little too possessive of Bella and kinda kicks Tanya's ass.**

**Chapter ten, Laurent's POV.**

"Theres someone outside" Bella said before rising up off the couch and heading towards the front door, Rosalie was close on Bella's heels, concern marring the blonde goddess's perfect features. As the two left the room to deal with whoever was outside I turned to Victoria about to make my excuses and leave when I heard the door open after the first female voice drifted out to me it was followed by another and then, the finale voice it sounded like a melody designed for my ears alone. The need to find the source of this musical voice instantly became overwhelming I was about to search for it, when three beautiful blonde woman entered the room, they looked to be about late teens to early twenties, but I could tell from the power radiating off these captivating creatures that they were a lot older than that, each of them had to be at least a thousand years old.

"Esme, how wonderful to see you again, and free of Carlisle." The woman in the middle drawled, she was tall at least five-foot-eleven with strawberry blonde hair that cascaded down her back to end just at her tail bone. _Not her, the sweet voice hadn't come from her._

"Yeah I was going to throw you a party but then Carmen reminded me that it might seem a little insensitive at this particular time" The pale blonde on the left said, she was the same height as the strawberry blonde, coming forward to envelope Esme in a hug, earning her a scowl from Victoria.

"Yeah but that didn't stop you from printing "We hate Carlisle" T-shirts did it, Kate" That musical voice drifted over to me again, a low purring sound broke free of my chest when _the _most beautiful woman I had ever seen came into my sights, she was tall just like the other two, long white blonde hair, her gorgeous pale skin was flawless and her body was curvy in all the right places making my mouth water for a taste of her. I instantly wanted to know everything about her, what made her happy, what made her sad, even simple things like what her favourite colour was, I wanted to know it all. Just then I felt someone in front of me.

"Hellooo, Earth to Laurent, come in Laurent" Victoria's voice accompanied by her waving her hands in my face is what drew my gaze away from the woman I wanted to worship for the rest of my life. Looking down at my former-prodigy, I gave her a befuddled look which she smirked at.

"We were just wondering what your plans were" Victoria drawled walking back over to Esme the redhead wrapped her arms around the smaller woman and nuzzled her caramel coloured hair lovingly.

"Other than eating my sister" Kate interjected saucily winking at me when I glared at her.

"Well the plan was to stick around for a while you know just to make sure that team jackass doesn't try anything" I replied all the while studying the blonde beauty across from me, she was looking back at me a slight frown on her perfect face, I really wanted to know what I had done to upset her so I could correct it.

"Careful Irina I think this one wants more than just one night" Kate commented, _Irina the name suited her perfectly _I thought to myself.

"Butt out Kate" Irina growled hastily at her sister, before turning and running out the door. With her gone it felt like everything good in my world went with her, but did I stay or did I go after her.

"Go after her, you limp noodle" Kate said growling in exasperation, I smirked at her insult before running after the woman who had, just by walking into my life, captured my heart.

**Jasper's POV**.

I had thought that Alice was the love of my life, my one true mate, I was wrong I realised looking at Tanya's curvy form, she was perfect in every way. Why had I never seen it before, I had known Tanya for a very long time, but never before had I seen how majestic she truly was. The way she carried herself it reminded me of a alpha lioness, striking and commanding but beautiful at the same time. Why had I never taken the time to get to know her before, the knowledge that I didn't know much about her at all disturbed me, and I really wanted to correct that. As the scene with Laurent and Irina unfolded I took the time to observe Tanya's features, her high cheekbones, perfectly proportioned nose, the golden eyes I knew so well, seemed even more captivating in her. I knew without a doubt that I was utterly and completely hers. Someone nudged me in my ribs and I looked down to find Alice grinning widely at me, I arched an eyebrow at her and her grin got impossibly bigger, before she leaned up on her tip-toes and I leaned down to her tilting my head to the side slightly so she could whisper in my ear. "Someone's in love...Oh and uh when Rosalie comes down you might want to go hunting" she giggled mysteriously before gracefully dancing back over to Leah, the shifter opened her arms and the pixie went into them eagerly, I had thought the loss of Alice would haunt me to my dying day, but looking at Tanya, I instinctively knew she could heal me. Yes the pixie was right _I'm in love._

"So Esme hows single life been treating you" I heard Tanya comment, while Laurent stared lovingly at a speechless Irina.

"I'm not single Tanya, but life with Victoria has been perfect." Esme said snuggling into Victoria, who looked like she couldn't decide whether to cuddle Esme or pounce on Tanya, I tensed slightly readying myself to protect Tanya if I had to.

"How disappointing for me, I had always wondered what you were like in bed" Tanya sighed dramatically, I couldn't believe what I was hearing, here I was standing like a lemon while the woman of my dreams was flirting with the woman I considered to be my mother, I growled low in my throat as the animal inside me fought for control over my saner self, I wanted to prove my worthiness to Tanya, prove that I would make a good mate, but my animalistic side just wanted to destroy the threat, Jesus what the hell was wrong with me.

"Well you're just going to have to keep on wondering, aren't you" Esme said as Victoria snarled in jealousy.

"Excuse us Tanya" Esme said quickly as Victoria snarled dangerously low again, the smaller vampire pulled the redhead in the direction of the stairs, the scent of their arousal clear as day.

"So, Jasper how big is your dick" Tanya drawled gazing up at me from under her eyelashes she looked so fucking hot like that, leaning back in on the couch with her back arched gently thrusting her breasts out seductively, her legs spread ever so slightly. I growled huskily as my cock hardened slowly eager to show Tanya just how big I was. She smirked slowly watching the growing bulge in my pants.

"...I'm sorry" Kate's voice flooded my ears.

**Emmett's POV.**

I folded my arms over my chest as I watched Laurent and Irina, he looked like all his Christmases had come at once, whereas she looked completely lost, there had always been something about Irina that made me think that she had suffered in the past she'd never said anything though. I personally think it had something to do with her maker, Sasha, she had been destroyed by the Volturi for harbouring an immortal child, it was against our laws to do so, the only reason the three sisters were still alive was because Aro had used his power to see their innocence. Just then Irina growled before bolting out the door, Laurent looked lost without Irina near by.

"Go after her, you limp noodle" I heard someone growl at the devastated Frenchmen, I grinned at that, knowing instinctively that it was Kate. I turned to the older vampire slowly, taking in her aristocratic features, long pale blonde hair, _she looked like a fallen angel_ I thought to myself, why had I never noticed before.

"What! he needed some encouragement" Kate said innocently when she realised I was looking at her. I laughed loudly, the reaction surprised everyone even me, after Rosalie had realised her feelings for Bella I had thought that I would never laugh again, Rose had been my world, my everything I was wrong I realised looking at Kate, she was funny, smart and absolutely breath-taking, and I wanted to make her mine now and forever. Suddenly the object of my affection came closer to me, my breathing shallowed in anticipation as she raised her hand to cup the side of my face when she touched me it was like bolt of electricity went through me and the area of my jaw she was touching felt like it was burning, the next instant she was leaning up to me and brushing her lips across mine gently, she soon became more bold and she licked at my lower lip like a little kitten, groaning I opened my mouth and tangled my tongue with hers just as I wrapped my arms around her tightly, she moaned softly pushing me back I felt thoroughly confused as I looked down at her.

"Whats wrong" I asked gently.

"I can't do this...I'm sorry" she whispered brokenly before she ran out the house, it felt like I had been punched in the chest by a newborn. I quickly tensed to go after my mate but I felt a restraining hand on my arm looking down I saw Tanya.

"Give her some time, she'll come back when shes ready" Tanya said before sitting on the couch next to Eleazar and Carmen.

"What did I do" I asked feeling so alone without Kate.

"Its not what you did, its..." Tanya broke off abruptly "...Its not my place to say" Tanya finished shaking her head softly.

"Tanya, please" I pleaded, I needed to know what was wrong so I could make it better.

"I said no, Emmett" Tanya said in a steely voice.

**Bella's POV,**

I was lying on top of a half naked Rosalie gently nuzzling her exposed throat, while her hands were stroking my back lazily. I could hear a lot of commotion downstairs, but if I concentrated on Rosalie's gliding hands the irritating noise was blocked out, at least it was until I heard a loud crashing sound just outside the door.

"Mmm...Damn it V...wait a sec...ugh!" I could hear Esme and Victoria both panting just outside the door.

"If you're gonna have sex do it in your room not out in the hall" I called to them echoing Victoria's words from earlier, a loud scream of pleasure was all the reply I got.

"Think its a little late for that" Rosalie drawled from beneath me, I chuckled softly as Esme's cries got louder and louder until, the loudest scream of all came from out in the hall, followed by silence.

"Well, I think its safe to go downstairs now" I said, already rolling off of my blonde goddess and heading over to our massive walk in closet.

"Do we have to" I could hear the pout in her voice as I pulled a pair of black slacks from their place on a shelf, along with a white button down.

"Yes, or would you rather we live out eternity in here" I countered pulling my clothes on quickly and re-emerging from the closet.

"At least up here I don't have to deal with Tanya checking you out every two minutes" Rosalie growled, finally getting up off our bed and walking over to me, my eyes tracked every movement the flex of lightly toned muscles, the sway of her hips I almost wanted to let her have her way, at least up here we could live out eternity without a stitch on. I thought with a smile. Rosalie disappeared inside the closet.

"I need to go shopping" Rosalie proclaimed loudly still inside the closet. I nearly shuddered, shopping was still my least favourite activity.

"_And _so do you" Rosalie said with a smirk, appearing in skinny jeans, and a tight white T-shirt that read _25% sweetheart 75% bitch. _

"Seriously" I said gesturing towards her top in disbelief.

"Yep see what I mean, this bitch needs to go shopping" Rosalie said to me batting her long eyelashes _at_ me imploringly.

"How 'bout I give you my credit card and you and Alice can shop 'til you drop" I said backing away from my mate slowly I didn't get far before she had her arms wrapped around my waist.

"But Bella we need alone time that doesn't involve sex" Rosalie said pouting adorably, she had a point I realised.

"Yes we do, how about we find a hobby we can do with Leah and Alice" I said, _anything but shopping _I mentally pleaded.

"Mmm I'm thinking shopping, so would Alice and Leah will do anything for Alice, so you are outnumbered baby." Rosalie grinned evilly all the while tightening her hold on my waist._ Quick, think exit strategies_ I mentally ordered myself, but I could feel myself turning to mush as Rosalie began to nuzzle the base of my throat, purring like a kitten.

"Aww, fine whatever you want" I growled.

"Yes! I knew you'd see things my way" Rosalie said happily she kissed me softly before heading towards the door, I could see the spring in her step and I briefly wondered what I had just gotten myself into.

"Bet I wouldn't have to shop with Tanya" I grumbled to myself.

"What was that" I heard Rosalie growl from in front of me.

"Nothing! I was just saying...that, um...I can't wait for shopping" I lied.

"Oh good for a second I thought I was going to have to kick Tanya's ass to Argentina and back" Rosalie said resuming her walk downstairs. When we got downstairs I was stunned to see how many people had left in just a hour and a half, the only ones left were the shifters Eleazar, Carmen, Alice, Tanya and a distraught looking Emmett. Rosalie was by his side instantly, I nearly growled in jealousy until I saw the soulless look in his eyes, _oh shit what had happened now. _

"Whats wrong Em" Rosalie said placing a comforting hand on Emmett's massive forearm.

"I think he kinda mated with Kate" Alice said softly.

"But thats a good thing isn't" I said to no one in particular.

"Not with Kate's history" Tanya said coming over to speak with me away from Emmett.

"So whats wrong with Kate" I asked placing a hand on Tanya's arm and pulling her over to a corner, I could hear Rosalie growling but in this instant I chose to ignore it, nothing mattered to me more than the happiness of my family and my mate, but I realised that I had taken my mate from Emmett and I really regretted that for me to be happy he had to get hurt. So from this point on I was going to make sure the overgrown man was as blissfully content as I was.

"Its not my secret to tell, but I'm sure_ you _could convince me if you tried" Tanya purred leaning in close to me, it was taking a lot of control not to push her away, preferably in a violent way. The next thing I knew Tanya was being tossed across the room by a very pissed Rosalie, Tanya masterfully flipped herself over in mid air and landed on her feet.

"Damn cousin, didn't your mother ever teach you that sharing is caring" Tanya said with a sexy grin. Rosalie snarled and leapt across the room at the elder vampire, jeez Rosalie was hot when she was pissed.

"Aren't you gonna do something" Leah said appearing at my side as Rosalie threw a punch at Tanya, as the hit made contact it sounded like two granite boulders colliding, and Tanya's head whipped to the side with enough force that had she been human her neck would have snapped like a twig.

"Like what exactly, it'd just piss Rose off even more" I said focusing on my enraged mate, who was currently trying to bite Tanya's head off, literally. The elder vampire brought her hand up to catch Rosalie's snapping jaws, Rosalie jerked her head back before backhanding Tanya hard enough to send Tanya flying through the air, but once again she regained her balance mid-flight and landed smoothly, wearing a wide grin.

"Well cousin, you really know how to play, I'll give you that." Tanya drawled raising her hands in mock defeat.

"I'm not playing, keep your damn hands off my mate Tanya" Rosalie snarled.

"You can't blame a girl for trying, I mean come on she's hot" Tanya said gesturing towards me. Rosalie took an aggressive step forward.

"All right, all right you win cousin, I promise not to touch or flirt with whats yours again" Tanya said crossing her fingers over her un-beating heart with a smirk.

Rosalie seemed to calm down a little then, I walked over to her and wrapped one arm around her shoulders pulling her in the direction of Emmett, who had remained quiet through the entire show.

"Do you have any idea how hot that was" I whispered teasingly into her ear, she tilted her head to the side so she could capture my lips in a passionate kiss, before we broke away and settled down next to our bear-sized brother.

"So start at the beginning" I directed pulling Rosalie into my lap.

**Jacob's POV,**

"Don't you just hate how they always seem to forget about us" I said to Seth, as we walked through the forest having no real destination in mind.

"Yeah, well sometimes, I mean at least our lives are relatively simple compared to our vampire counterparts" Seth said making no sense in my mind.

"How are our lives simple, we phase into massive wolves, we are the only ones who haven't imprinted and we live with vampires, who have enough emotional baggage they should have their own talk show, and..." I froze as a sweet scent drifted towards me from the north involuntary shakes seized my body and the need to phase became unbearable, inhaling more of the sweet scent, when I realised it was getting closer my wolf howled in anticipation. All of a sudden I couldn't contain my other half any more and I phased into a giant russet coloured wolf, I could sense Seth do the same beside me. Just then a figure bounded gracefully into my line of sight, it was a boy who looked to be about fourteen or fifteen, he had short blonde hair... I froze when I saw his eyes were ruby red and I snarled about to attack when I heard Seth in my thoughts.

"_Jake hes...hes my imprint"_

I back down instantly, it was against our laws to destroy the object of another wolf's imprint. I backed away while Seth moved forward cautiously, once the grey wolf was in front of him the Vampire didn't seem to know whether he should attack or if he should just stand there. Seth lowered his massive head to the vampire, just then-

"Alec, what have I told you about-" another figure gracefully appeared by the first, all of a sudden It wasn't gravity holding me to the earth it was her. This tiny blonde angel, she was the same age as the first and she had the same coloured eyes, but all I could see was the person I was meant to be with, I wanted to howl in happiness, finally I had found the one, my imprint. I approached her slowly as I didn't want her to flee, when I stood before her I lowered my head to look her in her mesmerising eyes. I leaned forward so I could draw more of her luscious scent into my lungs, she smirked softly before I felt _the_ most excruciating pain I had ever felt in my entire existence, god It felt like a thousand knifes were being plunged into every inch of my body at the same time, a whimper of pain clawed its way free from my throat before I collapsed, the last thing I saw before darkness consumed me was my blonde angel disappearing from my sight, as much as I wanted to chase after her my body simply wouldn't obey me, then I blacked out.

**TBC . . .**

**AN: So was it Good or Bad let me know. Sorry if you didn't like Jane's reaction, I just couldn't imagine her being happy about being imprinted on no matter how I looked at it. And yeah what did you think about Seth being gay and Tanya and Rose's little fight. The next update will be up as soon as possible and don't worry you will get some more Laurent/Irina and Emmett/Kate.'Till next time. **


	11. Chapter 11

Title: Coming Home.

Pairings: Bella/Rosalie, Leah/Alice, Esme/Victoria.

Rating: M

Disclaimer: Nothing is mine, it all belongs to Stephanie Meyer.

Summary: The Cullens left in New Moon, Victoria changed Bella, together along with Jacob, Seth, and Leah they've lived in Forks for over a century. What happens when the Cullens come back.

**AN: So in this chapter you have the aftermath of the last chapter, also you get more of team jackass as well as the Volturi, should be fun (not). One final note I'm giving Jane and Alec twin telepathy, it just seems fitting considering how close they are. Any way on with the show. I hope you enjoy.**

**Chapter eleven, Jane's POV.**

I was running through the forest as fast as I could, not really seeing where I was going. All I could think about was the shifter I had just used my power on, I was filled with confusing emotions, I was Jane Volturi I wasn't supposed to feel, and yet here I was filled with...guilt...remorse...sadness all of these feelings I hadn't felt in over a thousand years. And the thing that makes them resurface is a damn werewolf, the sworn enemy of my kind, all my immortal life I had been warned about shifters, about how they were practically designed for killing vampires, and I felt a deep connection with the russet wolf behind me, God what was I going to do now, when I got home the master was going to read my every thought, I ran faster and faster, and in no time at all Cullen manor came into sight, great I had almost forgotten about about Edward's little talent, dread filled every fibre of my being, I forced my thoughts away from my shifter, I shook my head violently I _had_ to stop thinking like that, he wasn't _my _shifter, oh for the love of just kill me now. The head of the Cullen family, Carlisle was waiting for us just out side the large building, I stopped just in front of him, Alec was close to my side.

"Jane, Alec" Carlisle greeted softly, I could hear the soft undertone of fear in his voice, at least he had some sense.

"Carlisle, I don't believe in wasting time, you said you could only convince your family to come to Volterra if you had our assistance, correct?" I inquired in my usual icy tone.

"Yes thats correct but..." Carlisle said.

"Then what are you waiting for" I interrupted harshly.

"Edward needs to compose himself as he was recently mauled by a bear" Carlisle said barely above a whisper, I shared smirk with my silent twin.

"Bears truly are magnificent creatures to maul a vampire" My brother commented in his usual impassive tone, but I knew he was feeling just as confused as I was, just then the one Cullen I had never been able to stand made his appearance, I had to bite the inside of my cheek so I didn't laugh out loud, Edward's left arm was in the process of growing back, he was missing his fore arm and hand, the precision of the break made me think that it was another vampire that had taken his arm off, _good for them._

"Oh good now that you're finally here, you can fulfil your purpose of serving us" Edward said arrogantly, I smirked evilly before unleashing my power on him, my smirk turned into a full blown grin, when Edward started shrieking like a banshee and I wasn't even using the full force of my power, _such a little bitch _I thought before increasing the amount of pain he was feeling before ending it abruptly.

"Listen up you little shit, I don't serve you and if you ever talk down to me again I wont torture you, I'll end you" I snarled at the whimpering mess that was Edward Cullen before turning to Carlisle.

"Do you understand the chain of command, or do you need a little lesson like your sorry excuse for a prodigy" I growled threateningly, Carlisle slowly backed away from me a look of pure terror on his face.

"_Calm yourself sister, if we scare them too much the master wont be happy" _I heard my brother in my thoughts.

"Well then lets go" I growled at them, before running back through the forest, I didn't need directions all I had to do was scent for _him._

**Kate's POV,**

I ran and ran through the forest until I came to the Canadian border, stopping at the borderline I paced from side to side running my hands through my long hair sending the locks into a state of disarray. I really couldn't do this, I couldn't be mated to Emmett, for the love of the gods the man I had considered to be my mate had been taken from me over half a century ago, Garrett. He'd been one of the numerous American nomads, we'd come across each other while hunting and the moment I looked into his ruby red eyes I had felt a deep affection for him, but I realised that the affection I had felt for him was nothing compared to the pure devotion and love I felt for Emmett, even now the need to turn around and high tail it back to the muscular man was intolerable, it was almost painful being away from him. But I felt like I was betraying Garrett's memory, after all Garrett had died protecting me, the Volturi had come for a visit something they did every decade to ensure we weren't trying to avenge our beloved mother. I had gone hunting blissfully unaware of Demetri and Afton following close behind me, I'd been taken unawares and had been pined to the ground when Garrett had appeared, unfortunately he hadn't been strong enough to take them both, they'd torn him apart and while I was fighting Afton, Demetri had set fire to Garrett's severed limbs, ending my life companion's existence. I had destroyed Afton but Demetri had gotten away and my beloved sisters had appeared out of nowhere and physically restrained me from going after him, knowing that if I killed their greatest tracker it would spark off a war with the Volturi, a war we wouldn't win. A wave of pain filled me at the loss of Garrett and the knowledge that I hadn't avenged him and now I discovered that the man I had cared so much for wasn't my true mate, Emmett was.

"Garrett please, please forgive me" I whimpered as dry sobs seized my body.

**Laurent's POV,**

I tracked my mate's sweet scent for miles, finally I found her at a small lake a few miles away from the Canadian border, she was sitting on a large boulder by the side of the lake with her knees pulled up to her chest with her chin resting on them, she looked so adorable I thought at least until I looked at her golden eyes, they were shining brightly a clear sign of her distress. I instantly wanted to wrap her up in my arms and offer all the comfort she needed. I cautiously approached her but I was careful to stay a few feet away from her.

"Go away fledgling" Her heavenly voice flooded my ears.

"With all due respect I'm no fledgling" I commented softly.

"Compared to me you are" Irina said not even looking at me, that hurt more than anything I had ever endured.

"Is that why you left" I questioned eager to learn more about her, even if it was her dislike for fledglings.

"I left because I don't want a mate, particularly one that doesn't share my diet." She hissed.

"Then I'll change, I'll do whatever it takes" I said taking a step towards her.

"Whatever it takes, the response of someone who doesn't understand the purpose of a mate" She said with a bitter laugh.

"Then show me what you want in a mate" I pleaded gently feeling utterly confused.

"It doesn't matter, you are clearly not what I need, come back in a few centuries, _fledgling_" Irina said standing up from her perch, helplessness filled me, what did I do.

"I'll follow you anywhere you go" I said as she jumped down from the boulder.

"If you want to waste your existence so be it" Irina said walking away from me. Determination filled me I would prove myself to her, and nothing would get in my way I swore silently to myself.

**Seth's POV,**

I was carrying Jakes unconscious form back towards the house bridal style, tons of thoughts were going through my head, all of them centred on my imprint, I was overjoyed that finally after all this time I had found the one I was made for, the fact that my one and only was a guy didn't bother me nor was the fact he was a vampire the only thing that did bother me was the fact that he drank human blood, I was meant to protect humans against such vampires, but if my mate attacked a human I knew that I wouldn't be able to deny him what he wanted. In the space of two seconds his happiness and safety immediately trumped my own, I would do anything for him, that knowledge didn't scare me it felt completely natural. A low groaning caught my attention, looking down I saw Jacob's eyelids flutter in awareness, _my pack leader's mate packed quite a punch_ I thought to myself as I began to walk faster.

"Where is she" Jacob groaned pitifully.

"She ran off, remember" I said feeling an sharp pain in my chest remembering when my imprint had run from me. The only thing stopping me from going after him was the fact that my alpha had slipped into unconsciousness, so I had decided to carry the larger man back to our mansion.

"Stop I need to get back to her" Jacob said in a strengthening voice, not his alpha voice but it was commanding enough that I actually considered obeying, I shook myself and continued walking.

"You are in no condition to go chasing after her, Jake" I said softly, knowing exactly how the other shifter was feeling, I needed to be close to my mate my wolf was howling in agony, knowing that with each step I took it was a step away from _him._

"Seth please let me go to her" Jacob begged beginning to struggle in my arms.

"Sorry brother" I said strengthening my hold on him as our house came into view, surprisingly enough Victoria was waiting for us, I frowned, _how did she know._

"Bella sensed someone enter our territory, what happened" the red head asked concern marring her flawless face as she looked at Jacob.

"We found our imprints" I said carrying Jacob into the house and into the family room were half of our family was crowded around Emmett.

"You found your imprints, Seth thats...Wait what does that have to do with Jake looking like he got used as a football." Leah asked moving off the couch so I could lay our alpha down on it.

"We imprinted on two vampires, when we were out in the forest, Jake walked over to his and the next thing I knew he was doubling over in pain" I explained.

"Was his imprint a small girl no more than fifteen about Alice's height, wearing a black robe, blonde hair with bright red eyes" Esme asked swiftly looking worried, I nodded. Esme looked at Alice and Rosalie, I could smell the fear coming off of them.

"What is it" Bella asked moving towards Rosalie, her need to protect her mate shining in her neon blue eyes.

"Мать ублюдок мы в дерьме, если Волтури приезжают сюда!" Tanya suddenly exclaimed in Russian.

"Why are we in deep shit, and Tanya don't curse our mother its disrespectful" Irina drawled from the door way Laurent was close by her side looking very thoughtful.

"Jane Volturi is here and I assume she has Alec with her" Esme said to everyone, _Alec_ so thats his name, it was like music to my ears, but why were they so afraid of Jane, my thoughts must have been evident on my face because Esme quickly explained.

"All of our kind fear Jane because of her ability to inflict unimaginable pain with a single thought." Esme sighed harshly burring her face in her hands.

"We need to find out why shes here" Victoria said placing a comforting hand of her mates shoulder.

"I'd have thought that was obvious, Carlisle went crying to the Volturi and Aro sent his most loyal pets to help the whiny little shit." Tanya growled annoyance clear in her voice. _Loyal pets _what did that mean, I couldn't lose my imprint but if he was so loyal to the Volturi, how could we possibly be together.

"Seth I'm assuming you imprinted on Alec right?" Leah asked me I nodded in response.

"Then whats the big deal, imprinting works like a two way street, its impossible to hurt your mate-" Leah trailed off before looking at Jacob who had his eyes closed as his body quickly recovered from the pain it had recently been through "- Or at least you're not supposed to be able too" Leah finished with a befuddled look on her face.

"Hey whats wrong I could feel your shock miles away" Jasper said in his southern drawl entering the room, damn it was getting crowded in here.

"Well my sexy southerner we have the Volturi and the weasels on one hand and loads of unanswered questions about Bella's heritage on the other" Tanya said raising her hands and she pretended to weigh them all the while Jasper watched her with a half-smile.

"Mmm not to mention, Kate's gone AWOL, I have a fledgling wanting to be my mate, Tanya is flirting with everything that moves a fraction of an inch, Emmett is heartbroken...and why is everyone looking at me like that" Irina stopped her rant to glare at the amused looks of her new family.

"Weell first of all, you're like a walking, talking journal-" Tanya started "-One that never shuts up-" a feminine voice interjected, "Yep one that never shuts up, thank you Kate, and you..." Tanya's eyes widened before she looked over her shoulder at her sister.

"How long have you been standing there" Tanya asked lamely earning her a sad smile from Kate, Emmett was on his feet and across the room in a flash the large vampire stopped a few inches away from an apprehensive looking Kate.

"Kate I..." Emmett began but Kate held her hand up silencing the massive vampire.

"We need to talk" Kate said before walking out the door, Emmett bounded after her. Now that everyone was quiet I decided to make my move.

"Esme can you tell us more about Jane and Alec" I blurted out.

"Of course Seth, you might want to sit down though." Esme said with a smile, I followed her instructions and sat down next to Jacob who had managed to force himself into a sitting up position.

"In case you hadn't noticed Jane and Alec are twins" Esme began, I had suspected as much they had the same aristocratic bone structure.

"They were born around 800AD somewhere in England, unfortunately their mother died in child birth but the thing that made the villagers fearful of Jane and Alec was that their mother gave birth to Alec easily enough but she died before she could deliver Jane, I never discovered how Jane managed to survive the villagers were scared of Jane and Alec after that. Over the years the twin's father became an alcoholic and would often spout nonsense about the twins having black cats and a thirst to practice the "dark arts", well after that the villagers were convinced that Jane and Alec were witches and paid their father to testify against them, he agreed readily enough all he cared about was money and drink, after their father gave evidence to a hired witch-finder he dragged them both from their beds and tied them to stakes in the centre of their fathers lands but before they could light the fire Aro appeared with Marcus and Caius he saved them and turned them into vampires, they've served him ever since" Esme finished, I felt enraged that someone would even contemplate doing that to _my _imprint, god if I could I'd go back in time I would just so I could tear them apart myself.

"Theres someone coming" Bella hissed. Suddenly there was a loud clapping sound we all turned around, and I felt my heart beat faster when my eyes landed on my mate, but it was his sister who was clapping sarcastically.

"I must admit our story sounds quite pitiful when you say it like that, but you're forgetting the happy ending-" Jane said coming further into the room, I could feel Jacob tense beside me, "-We got our revenge on the spineless rat who sired us and it was slow and painful" Jane smirked.

"I don't blame you Jane, if my father betrayed me like that I'd have done the same thing" Jacob said comfortingly standing up and cautiously closing in on her.

"Thats not important any more, every member of the Cullen clan has been summoned to Volterra and if you don't go, well I have my methods of persuasion" Jane said backing away from Jacob as he advanced on her. I followed my pack leader's example and stalked closer to my mate, he seemed glued in place as I came close enough to feel the coldness radiating off of him, I instantly wanted more and before I knew it I was leaning my body into his much shorter and slender one, inhaling his gorgeous scent, it was like a wine designed to only affect me and I already felt intoxicated.

"We aren't part of the Cullen coven any more" Alice stated for them all, Leah moved closer to her mate taking a protective stance. A scoff caught my attention, hiding in the door way cowering behind Jane was Carlisle and fuckward.

"Then whose coven do you belong to" Carlisle sneered careful to stay behind Jane who was looking at Jacob in what could only be described as wonder.

"Consider them part of Denali" Tanya interjected before anyone else could speak.

"Well that changes things wouldn't you say sister" The heavenly creature in front of me said in an impassive tone.

"Yes it does dear brother, seeing as they are part of Denali, the only Cullens left are Carlisle and Edward" Jane said absently her eyes still trained on Jacob.

"No I wont allow it, they are part of my coven and they will do as I say" Carlisle snarled behind Jane, the tiny blonde suddenly whirred on the other vampire.

"Are you deaf or just stupid, never mind I don't care, get your bags you are going to Volterra tomorrow" Jane growled at Carlisle, the other vampire opened his mouth but quickly shut it again before running away with his douchebag son. I turned my full attention on my imprint, and saw pure amusement on his face, but I couldn't stop worrying about whether or not he was leaving.

"We need to talk" I heard Jane say.

**Kate's POV,**

How was I going to do this, I owed it to Emmett to explain why I ran out on him, but if I did it would probably trigger the possessiveness our kind was capable of, and I really didn't fancy getting fucked into submission in the middle of the forest. But if I didn't it would leave him hurt and confused and that was something I didn't want either, talk about being caught between a rock and a hard place, I sighed before looking at Emmett he had his massive arms crossed over his chest and he was looking at me his expression one of acceptance.

"Well I don't really know where to start" I said lamely.

"Start wherever you like Kate, I could spend eternity listening to you, and thats what I intend to do if you let me" He said in a soothing tone, it sounded unusual coming from such an imposing man.

"Okay, so the reason I ran was because...well, I've already had a mate" I rushed the last bit and I clenched my eyelids closed not really knowing how he was going to react to my revelation. When only silence greeted me I opened my eyes to find Emmett looking at me intently, his jaw was clenched tightly but at least he wasn't lashing out.

"I know that I don't have the right to be jealous, hell I was mated to Rose for over a century, but I really want to kill him" Emmett admitted through gritted teeth, I lowered my gaze from him as the all too familiar pain filled my chest.

"The Volturi beat you to it" I whispered he was by my side in a flash pulling me into his arms, I burrowed into his broad chest feeling protected.

"When was this...never mind I understand if you don't want to talk about it" He said nuzzling the top of my head gently, that was what made me want to tell him everything, but it felt as though my throat was swollen to the point I couldn't say a thing, so I settled for wrapping my arms around his waist and hugging him tightly.

"So where does this leave us" Emmett asked gently. I had to clear my throat several times before I could answer.

"I'm not ready for the entire mating thing, but maybe we can be friends first" I said though it sounded more like a question than a suggestion even to my ears.

"So long as I can be near you, hear your voice and smell your scent I'll wait for as long as you need" Emmett promised, and I believed him.

**Alice's POV,**

"So this has been a hell of a day" I said to everyone still in the room, there was Bella and Rosalie, Victoria and Esme, Jasper and Tanya, Seth and Alec, Irina and Laurent and then there was the highlight of my existence, Leah and she looked exhausted but I could tell she wouldn't be going to sleep any time soon she was too focused on Seth and his imprint, they were over in the corner talking so low even I couldn't hear them, but judging from the looks on their faces things were gonna be A-Okay, I grinned our family was getting ridiculously big, we were definitely gonna need a bigger house and now that we were all part of Denali, where we gonna live in Alaska or would Tanya relocate down here in Forks, and then there was the business of Carlisle and Edward, were they ever gonna get the message, I rolled my eyes in exasperation, but at least they were gonna be in Italy for the next few days, oh crap they were gonna be with Aro who always had some kind of plot going on in that head of his, our problems just went from bad to worse as far as I was concerned.

"Yes this has definitely been one of our more entertaining evenings" Esme said sounding tried even though she didn't need to sleep, she sat down next to me while Victoria, Bella and Rosalie were off talking near the kitchen door.

"Things are gonna get better aren't they" I voice my insecurities to the only real mother I'd ever had.

"Oh Alice sweetie, as soon as Carlisle lets us go and the Volturi butt out our lives will be perfect, you'll see" Esme said soothingly.

"But what if they don't leave us alone" I asked again.

"Then it looks like they'll finally get what they deserve" Emmett said coming into the room holding Kate's hand I smiled at my brother, _you gotta love Emmett_ I thought to myself, as the bear-sized man leaned against the back of the couch me and Esme were sitting on, Kate close by him. Suddenly Seth and Leah came over, Seth was grinning widely it was almost scary.

"He said he'll stay if Jane stays" Seth said triumphantly, and I was happy for him but what if Jane didn't want to stay, _we are gonna have a lot of obstacles in our way before we all get our happily ever afters, _but looking at a very drowsy Leah I knew it would be worth it. I looked over to the clock that sat on top of the grand mantle piece, approximately 4:35 in the morning, time to tuck my wolf in I thought giddily. Watching over Leah as she slept had become my absolute favourite pastime. I stood up from the couch in one fluid motion and glided over to Leah, wrapping my arm around her waist I pulled her in the direction of the stairs, carefully climbing them I pulled Leah down the hall and I pushed open her bedroom door, _shower or no shower_ as much as I wanted to get Leah naked she looked like she was already half asleep, pulling her over to the bed I pushed her onto it and moved gracefully over to her chest of drawers, pulling the middle one open I grabbed her a pair of white sweats and and a red T-shirt as well as a clean pair of underwear, _and I so need to introduce my woman to Victoria's secret_,_ oh well another day maybe._ Walking back over to my mate I quickly stripped her of her clothes glancing at her body apprisingly before reluctantly dressing her again. Finally I pulled the sheets back and urged her under them, once she climbed under them I quickly covered her again before settling down on top of them next to Leah, throwing my arm over her waist, and pressing my forehead against her shoulder blade I listened her soft even breathing with a smile.

"I love you Lee" I whispered to my sleeping mate.

**TBC. . .**

**AN: So then was it good or bad please let me know, your views and opinions mean a lot and the next chapter will be up as soon as possible.**

**Oh and translation:**

**"Мать ублюдок мы в дерьме, если Волтури приезжают сюда!"**

"**Mother fucker we are in deep shit if the Volturi are coming here!" **

**'Til next time ;)**


	12. Chapter 12

Title: Coming Home.

Pairings: Bella/Rosalie, Leah/Alice, Esme/Victoria.

Rating: M

Disclaimer: Nothing is mine, it all belongs to Stephanie Meyer.

Summary: The Cullens left in New Moon, Victoria changed Bella, together along with Jacob, Seth, and Leah they've lived in Forks for over a century. What happens when the Cullens come back.

**AN: Thanks for all the reviews guys I love them. Right then in this chapter, Jacob and Jane have a moment, A/L and B/R go shopping, Victoria explains the house rules to Alec and Jane, Tanya makes plans to move everyone to Alaska and Rosalie gets a little surprise. Hope you enjoy.**

**Chapter twelve.**

**Jane's POV**

We walked slowly into the forest just far enough to make sure that the others wouldn't hear, well Bella would, but she didn't seem like the type to get off on gossip so I figured we were safe. I wrapped my arms around myself and turned to face the source of my confusion, he was beautiful, it wasn't a word I normally associated with the opposite sex, but I couldn't think of a word to better describe him. He was an even seven foot which meant that he was a giant compared to my mere five foot, his arms were about the same size of three of my thighs, his shoulders made up four of mine, his chest was positively massive it looked like if he tensed in the slightest his muscles would rip through the flimsy material of his T-shirt, faded cut-offs looked like they had been spray-painted onto his thighs and lower legs and his skin was a light copper tone a brilliant contrast to my own pale skin and his eyes were so dark they seemed bottomless, oddly enough his outrageous size didn't put me off, it was drawing me to him like a mouth to the flame, I cleared my throat a few times and tried to collect my thoughts, I really didn't know how to broach this subject.

"What did you do to me" I settled for but I nearly winced at his crestfallen expression, why did I feel so bad for hurting him, the only person I had ever cared enough about to worry about hurting was Alec, but somehow this shifter had had managed to wedge himself into my un-beating heart, and I knew instinctively that I wasn't going to be able to kick him out and that thought scared me, I was meant to be emotionless it was what made me who I am.

"I, uh I imprinted on you" He said to me gently searching my eyes for something and he obviously found it because he smiled softly for some reason I felt the impulse to smile back, uh what the hell was wrong with me and what the fuck was imprinting.

"And what is imprinting, exactly" I forced out through gritted teeth.

"Its when a shifter finds the one they were made for, when they look into their eyes their souls become one, and they would do anything to keep them safe and happy" He whispered coming closer to me, my brain made me take a step backwards even though my heart wanted me to go forward.

"How can we be meant to be together I don't even know you" I growled in confusion I suddenly felt a powerful urge to run as fast as I could away from all of this, away from him, away from Alec, away from the Volturi but what was the point one of the three would find me in the end.

"Well what do you want to know," He asked gently.

"I really don't want to know any thing about you" I said even as a growl of confusion erupted from my chest, this earned me a sad smile from him and I instantly felt guilty, _oh the control he had over my emotions was going to piss me right off._

"My names Jacob Black, I'm hundred and nine-teen years old, I've lived in Forks and La push with the rest of my family for seventy three years the rest in the mountains of Tibet, and my favourite colour is gold." Jacob stated to me taking a step forward with every word he was now standing right in front of me a mere fraction of an inch separated us so close I could feel the heat radiating off of him in waves, I wanted to burrow into his chest and stay there for eternity. As his words sunk in I instantly wanted to tell him about my past, but he was a shifter he would look at the things I had done in disgust, he would leave me and I couldn't bare to think about him leaving me it hurt too much.

"Look I'm not asking for anything you don't want to give but I know I can make you happy, just give me a chance" He whispered lifting his hand and tilting me chin up so he could look into my red eyes, for some unknown reason I really didn't want him seeing my red eyes, it was a reminder of what I was and what I fed off, shame filled me the first thing on my mind was that I was going to do was change my diet, even if I really didn't like the idea of killing an animal, I nearly laughed out loud, I had killed so many humans I had lost count but the thought of killing a single animal caused me a surprising amount of distress, my amusement turn to annoyance, this was all his fault frigging wolf.

"Fine, I'll stick around for now, but if someone irritates me I won't be held responsible for my actions" I growled already heading back to the house, no matter how much I tried I couldn't block out his sigh of happiness, and the knowledge that I had made him happy made me feel like I could fly if someone asked me to, but what was I going to say to Aro.

**Bella's POV,**

I grinned widely when I heard Jane's last words, well I was just gonna have to make sure no one irritated her, because if she left it would crush Jacob, and I had done it enough times to know that what hurt Jacob hurt me as well though I never found out why.

"What are you smiling about" Rosalie asked me with a suspicious look I smiled even wider.

"Well our family just got _that_ much bigger, again" I drawled lazily.

"Jeez, I'm not complaining but damn we need a bigger house" Rosalie said to everyone still in the room, which was pretty much everyone but Carmen and Eleazar, huh when had they disappeared.

"My estate is big enough for all of us and more" Tanya spoke up.

"Yeah she really went overboard in construction, but at least its coming in handy now" Kate commented randomly.

"Overboard Kate, its made out of grey marble which wasn't exactly cheap, its got six floors, one hundred and fifty massive bedrooms, twenty bathrooms not including the _en suites,_ hell you could probably fit this entire house into Tanya's bathroom, and to put the cherry on this obscenely large cake is the grounds, its over twenty five acres." Irina growled along with everyone else I looked in disbelief at Tanya.

"What! I have always wanted a big family, now that I've got one I was thinking about getting an extension" Tanya said dryly.

"Titania Valentina Denali! We do not need a fucking extension, and if Sasha were here she'd be smacking you upside the head, in fact..." Irina trailed off and smacked Tanya upside the head as hard a.

"Ow...that hurt" Tanya growled before flicking Irina in the centre of her forehead it sounded like a chisel slamming into a granite boulder.

"What the hell" Irina snarled before punching Tanya in the arm.

"What is with the abuse _sister_" Tanya asked right before she punched Irina back. I watched this exchange closely debating whether or not I should intervene I didn't want them doing something they might regret.

"Don't bother, they do this all the time" Rosalie commented from next to me.

"You sure" I asked, wincing as Irina tackled Tanya to the ground and the two started trading slaps.

"Of course, why do you think Jasper isn't dragging Irina off Tanya" Rosalie replied then I finally noticed the Texan watching two closely and I could scent his arousal from across the room when he met my gaze and we shared a smirk.

"Are they always like this" I heard Alec ask Alice.

"For as long as I can remember" the pixie answered "Anyway its time for shopping, lets go, lets go" Alice exclaimed excitedly looking pointedly at me and Rosalie grabbed me by the wrist and dragged me out the house and over to her Bentley with Alice and Leah following closely, after we all climbed in with me and Leah in the back seats so we didn't "run away". With Rosalie's erratic driving we reached _Port Angeles in about forty-five minutes that was a new record._ In no time at all I found myself being dragged around the mall, Rosalie and Alice were buying everything that took their fancy, from designer jeans and slacks, to short denim skirts and a wide range of tops and leather belts and the amount of shoes they had was scary.

"And now its your turn" Alice grinned at me and Leah, me and Leah slowly turned our heads towards each other.

"Hehe, run" I said to Leah before turning my back on Rosalie and Alice, I didn't even get two footsteps away before Rosalie got her arms around me in a vice grip.

"Whoa no you don't, come on I promise it will be quick and painless" Rosalie purred into my neck.

"Yeah thats what my dentist used to say" I growled back at her earning a chuckle from my blonde mate as she pulled me into a store where we found Alice was giving Leah the biggest pout I had ever seen even I would have a hard time saying "no" to her and she wasn't even my mate.

"Alice whats the point, I end up either shredding my clothes or outgrowing them" Leah tried to reason with her mate.

"Pretty please" Alice pleaded her pout getting that much bigger.

"Okay, okay but don't go overboard" Leah relented.

"Yes! I love you" Alice grinned before rushing around the shop at a very fast human pace, Leah eyes were getting wider and wider at the amount of clothes Alice was piling over her arm.

"Now then am I going to have to pout or are you going to give in" Rosalie asked against my neck as her arms were still wrapped tightly around me, every part of me wanted to give her what she wanted.

"Mercy, not the pout" I begged teasingly.

"Mmm good choice" She said pressing a lingering kiss to my neck making her shiver slightly before releasing me and joining Alice Leah came over to me then.

"I love her I really do, but if she thinks I'm wearing that shes got another thing coming" Leah growled, looking over Alice and Rosalie were checking out the dresses, right now they had a short white one off the rack and on Leah I could guess it would end just above mid-thigh, it was strapless and I could already tell it would accent her breasts deliciously.

"I don't know Lee, I think you'd look really good in that, in a completely asexual way." I added the last bit when Rosalie started giving Leah her infamous death glare.

"Oh ouch that hurt" Leah drawled.

"Yeah but Rosalie's fist would hurt even more" I whispered to Leah speaking of Rosalie the blonde was stalking over to us wearing a slight scowl marring her beautiful face and it was aimed at Leah.

"We are in trouble" I whispered Leah, just as Rosalie reached us she was growling lightly.

"I'm going to go rescue Alice before she gets snowed under" Leah said absently before disappearing.

"Rosalie-" I said in a warning tone as her eyes turned black and she leaned into me "-this is not the time nor the place" I whispered noticing the young blonde shop clerk glancing our way.

"Changing room" Rosalie growled grinding her hips into me seductively.

"Not now babe" I said even as she dug her fingers into my hips and growled loud enough for the clerk to hear, and if I wasn't mistaken I could scent her arousal mixing with Rosalie's, and Rosalie did too judging from the way she quickly released me and stalked towards the human.

"Rose calm down" I said snagging her wrist Alice and Leah were by us in the next instant, Rosalie sighed loudly before walking out the shop.

"We'll meet you at the car." I threw over my shoulder before jogging at a human pace out the door after my mate. I found her in the car tapping her fingers against the steering wheel rapidly opening the passenger door and climbing in, we sat in silence for a few minutes.

"What the hell is wrong with me, one day I'm the matriarch of all ice queens the next I'm a territorial nymphomaniac" Rosalie groaned.

"I don't know love, theres a lot of unanswered questions between us but...we'll figure it out. Trust me" I said gently.

"Before or after we end up having sex in a public place, possibly even arrested" Rosalie groaned pitifully I chuckled softly before reaching over entwine our fingers tightly and gently tracing tiny circles on her wrist with my thumb.

"For the love of God, even thats turning me on. I swear you don't have venom, you have aphrodisiac filled..." she didn't get to finish because I was leaning over to capture her lips tenderly, before I could deepen the kiss there was a knock on the window.

"Cock-blocking pixie" Rosalie growled pulling away from me, I inhaled deeply before opening the door and climbing out, Alice pulled the seat forward and climbed into the back seat, while Leah was packing numerous bags into the trunk, I decided to take pity on her.

"Get in the car Lee" I grinned taking over the task of loading Alice's precious cargo, the shifter followed my instruction and I soon had all the bags stored, jeez there was serious junk in that trunk I thought closing it.

"Good to go" Rosalie asked even as she turned the key, making the Bentley come to life with a purr, I nodded at her as I closed my door.

**Victoria's POV.**

"While you're here I would appreciate it if you would try your hardest to refrain from feeding off of humans" I said to the twins in front of me.

"Fine is there anything else" Jane asked.

"Yes actually unless its in self defence or against an enemy I would prefer it if you didn't use your powers" that was my strongest argument, of course I wanted Jacob and Seth to be happy but from the stories Esme had told me about the witch twins they were very powerful and had a fondness for using their powers when it wasn't necessary.

"Fair enough" Jane said in a toneless voice, I smirked, Alec was happy with Seth but I could tell that Jane was going to need a lot of convincing to settle down with Jacob.

"Okay other than that welcome to the family" I smiled.

"What thats it" Alec asked.

"What did you expect the Spanish inquisition" I retorted.

"I don't know what I expected but that wasn't it, after all we are knowingly endangering your coven" Alec replied after sharing a look with Jane.

"Like I said Alec we aren't just a coven we're family and families look after one another, even against the Volturi" I said absently.

"All right if you guys are ready, you're rooms at Denali estate are now fully furnished and awaiting your approval." Tanya said ending her phone call with Carmen.

"Good then we can move when the girls get back." I said.

"I still don't understand how you can trust them" Kate growled after Alec and Jane left the room, the blonde had been overly aggressive to the twins since they got here and as much as I wanted to find out why, it annoyed me that she couldn't see how happy the twins made Seth and Jacob.

"Kate why are you so against them, would you at least try to give them a chance" I growled.

"Yeah, fine, whatever" Kate replied before walking out, I rolled my eyes at her back.

"You gonna tell me whats up with her" I asked Tanya.

"Mmm let me think...God this is a tough one...umm that'd be a hell no, Irina I can take but Kate... now thats a woman that doesn't play fair" Tanya said sarcastically, I grinned widely if Tanya stopped flirting with my mate I might like her...a little...maybe.

"Hey we're back!" Alice called out from the front door.

"Hey, so did you enjoy playing dress up" I smirked at my "Kids", noticing how each and everyone of them was carrying at least four bags.

"-No"

"-Yes"

"-Kind of"

"-Do you have to ask" were my replies.

"Hey guys, so how overboard did Alice go, then" Esme said coming down the stairs slowly.

"Hey I think I was pretty tame, but thats only 'cause Rosalie nearly ate Bella in public" the pixie giggled.

"Actually I think she was going to eat the clerk first" Leah interjected with a smirk.

"Ah! would you two shut up" Bella growled, as the three began to trade insults Rosalie remained surprisingly quiet, I tilted my head in question when she looked at me.

"I just need to feed" Rosalie shrugged.

"I'm coming with you" Bella said abruptly ending her banter with Alice and Leah, and the two walked out the door.

"Come on then show us what you bought" I said to Alice the pixie's eyes brightened in excitement. _Uh oh._

**Rosalie's POV.**

I pounced on the deer and swiftly broke its neck to spare the animal any unnecessary distress or pain, I sank my teeth into its neck and sucked every drop of its succulent blood down my throat as soon as I had drained it I gently lowered the animal to the ground.

"Better?" Bella asked from the side raising my head I met the neon blue eyes of my mate.

"No if anything its worse" I admitted I felt like I hadn't feed in weeks when in reality it had only been twelve days, and my stomach muscles were starting to twist painfully in hunger, Bella must have read it in my face because she frowned.

"Feed off me" She said coming closer to me.

"Why?" I asked genuinely perplexed, what good would feeding off her do.

"I have a theory" She said pulling her thick mane of hair over one shoulder, the sight of her exposed neck had my teeth literally aching to be buried in her pale neck and my throat felt like it was on fire.

"Come on" She whispered pulling me closer to her it was all the incentive I need, I sank my hand into her red-black hair pulled her head to the side roughly and buried my teeth in the side of her neck and her arms went around my waist, I moaned loudly her venom tasted like thirty year old whisky as I sucked it down my throat, her addictive essence soothed the burn in my throat and quenched my hunger, then I felt power course through every cell in my body, I groaned and sucked more of her venom before I lapped at the wound gently before pulling back to look at her, she gasped softly.

"What?" I asked caressing the side of her face lovingly.

"Your eyes they're blue"

**TBC. . .**

**AN: Okay I'll give you three guesses as to what Rosalie turned into, yeah like you don't already know ;) anyways I would love to hear your views and opinions on this chapter and creative criticism is always welcome and I do have two questions for you, 1) what do you think about me making Caius a good guy for a change, 2) what do you think about Rosalie and Bella mysically having a baby (yes biologically) if you do who do you want to carry it, bare in mind the sooner you get back to me on that the sooner I can get to work on the next update, 'Til next time guys.**

**xLSx**


	13. Chapter 13

Title: Coming Home.

Pairings: Bella/Rosalie, Leah/Alice, Esme/Victoria.

Rating: M

Disclaimer: Nothing is mine, it all belongs to Stephanie Meyer.

Summary: The Cullens left in New Moon, Victoria changed Bella, together along with Jacob, Seth, and Leah they've lived in Forks for over a century. What happens when the Cullens come back.

**AN: Okay first of all: Thanks for the reviews (sighs) I love you guys! and thanks for the feedback I really appreciate it. Now then in this chapter, Rosalie tells Bella about her past, you know the hows, whens and whys of her becoming a vampire. Caius make plans to betray Aro 'cause you know, hes nut job and Laurent goes to Tanya for some much needed help in wooing Irina.**

**Chapter thirteen, Caius's POV.**

I was standing in the throne room along with Marcus and Aro awaiting the arrival of the Cullens, though I was very confused because Gianna had said that only a few Cullens were coming and that Jane and Alec wouldn't be accompanying them, this was very odd as the twins didn't often fail in their tasks so what had provoked this sudden lapse, I turned slightly to study Aro's form he looked giddy which only happened when he thought he had just outsmarted me, perhaps Aro had asked the twins to stay behind, but why, he couldn't still be deluding himself into thinking he could control the Fae or her mate for that matter, could he.

"My lords, Carlisle and Edward Cullen" Felix said from the doorway.

"What is wrong with you, I told you to say my name first, coming second is just so tacky" Fuckward's voice drifted out, I nearly growled in annoyance this whelp really needs to learn his place, although I will refrain from doing it myself, it would be so much more entertaining to watch the Fae do it, I though with a smirk.

"Ah yes let them in, Felix" Aro called out in an excited tone, the large double doors opened to reveal Carlisle, Aro's nearest and dearest friend and then there was the whiny little bitch Edward, how he had managed to stay alive this long was beyond me.

"My young friends" Aro greeted taking one of Carlisle's hand in between his own and using his power to read every though the younger vampire had ever had, before doing the same to Edward.

"Now then I must ask, why have the rest of your family left you" Aro asked walking back over to his throne the younger vampires following him hesitantly.

"I honestly don't know, after everything I have done for them, you'd think they'd show a little more loyalty" Carlisle growled.

"They did, they left Forks with you all those years ago even though they didn't want to. In fact its you who didn't show any loyalty, you lied to them about Bella wanting you to leave her alone" I reminded them.

"How did you know that" Edward snarled at me.

"I have my contacts" though I didn't reveal who it was I didn't want them finding out and causing the young vampiress any undue hassle, after all she had a lot of things to worry on the home front without having to worry about these two bastards making things worse.

_Flash-back_

_I was pacing back and forth in my personal chambers, pondering Aro's decision to send the with twins to assist Carlisle's venture in getting his family back together, I could tell it wasn't going to happen. Carlisle's gentle and caring nature had faded over the years turning him into a pompous asshole that even I couldn't stomach. But of course Aro had his ulterior motives, the Fae. From what I could gather from the few guards that had been in contact with her over the years, she was a very powerful shield and was very loving and protective towards her family, now that she was a Fae those traits would have gotten significantly increased along with everything else and then there was her hidden Fae power, now that was what truly worried me, a Fae's hidden power could be one of creation or destruction it all depended on how well the Fae bonded with their mate. Just then there was a nervous knock on my door, when it opened Gianna hesitantly poked her head around it._

"_My lord, theres a phone call for you." She said while biting her lower lip._

"_Take a message Gianna" I replied still pacing swiftly._

"_My lord, its Alice Cullen" she said gently, now that __caught my attention and I turned on my heel and __stalked towards the door with my hands clasped __behind my back, Gianna retreated away from the __door and I walked past her without a word, as was my way, I didn't like being friendly towards the rest of the coven not even my brothers, friendship was a weakness, one that had been utilised against me a lot during my human years, and it had ultimately lead to the end of my human life. I found myself by Gianna's desk, picking the phone up from the cradle I raised it up to my ear and the voice of Alice Cullen flooded my ear._

"_Hiya Caius, how have you been?" I smiled softly apart from Rosalie, Alice had always been my favourite Cullen._

"_Same as always my little pixie pest, but you know you are risking a lot phoning me here, what if Aro had heard" I scolded gently. _

"_Yeah but I had to tell you about a vision I had, its about you, Bella and Rose, c'mon Caius you said you had changed" I could hear the pout in her voice, even over the phone it was making my resolve crumble._

"_I have changed pest, but this is not the time" I whispered very low when I felt someone staring at my back._

"_Okay lets just say, you make it up to the Fae although you still haven't told me what you did to them or why you've decided to help us" Alice said rapidly, the presence behind me was getting closer and closer, finally I caught their scent, Aro._

_"Naturalmente il mio dolce, come potrei dimenticare" I switched to Italian when my intrusive brother came close enough to hear our conversation by doing so I hoped he would think that I was talking to an old acquaintance._

_"Questo è stiamo parlando di Caio, ma fintanto che vi ricordate ci vediamo quando ti vedo, ciao" Alice replied in her best Italian accent which was unbelievably convincing and it disguised her real tone of voice perfectly. _

"_Ciao" I returned before placing the phone back in its cradle I then looked into the red eyes of my brother._

"_Who was that?" he asked suspicion clear in his tone._

"_Just an old friend I intend to met up with, very soon" I answered with a small smirk._

_End of flash-back._

I came back to reality with a jolt, fortunately for me the mind reading little shit was engrossed in conversation.

"So what of this Bella, anything I need to know" Aro asked Edward.

"I can't hear her thoughts, that is what assured me that she was meant to be mine for eternity" Edward answered in _the _most self-centred voice I have ever had the displeasure of hearing.

"The fates would disagree, after all she belongs to Rosalie now and vice versa, if I'm not mistaken" I interjected once again.

"That is simply a phase, one that she will out grow soon and then she will come running back to me, although I will make her work for the privilege of being my mate after all the trouble I've..." I snarled loudly cutting the boy off, his whimper of fear was the most satisfying thing I had heard all day.

"Now, now brother the boy is simply stating the truth" Aro said in an attempt to calm me down, _what an idiot_.

"No the boy is being an ass and the only reason I'm not tearing his dime-sized balls off is because I know for a fact that the Fae would tear mine off for stealing her thunder" I finished with a hiss at Edward.

"Oh my brothers, could you stop trying to get the best of each other because after two thousand years its getting rather boring," Marcus said in his maddeningly impassive tone, I nodded stiffly even though I really wanted to walk out of the throne room, I couldn't turn up on the Denali's doorstep without any worthwhile information, it was what was going to act as my peace offering when I entered the Fae's Den.

"Of course Marcus you're right-" Aro said absently before turning back to Carlisle "-So then I will sent some of my guards to "convince" your family to come back to you, and you will do anything I ask of you in return, are we in agreement" Aro drawled holding his hand out.

"If they don't want to be part of his family you can't force them no matter how many guards you send, brother" I growled out in an attempt to get more details out of him.

"Oh Caius you misunderstand me, the guards are going to capture some of the weaker members of their so called family, the rest will do as they are told or we will end them, painfully" so emotional blackmail was his plan in that moment I truly despised my brother, blackmail was a cowards tactic in my book and it was one I never used, my honour had never allowed it, I may have stabbed the Fae in the back, but had they not been so arrogant they'd have seen me coming a mile away at the time I had though I was doing the right thing, that I was protecting the vampires, but I had been wrong.

_Flash-back_

_18AD, _

_Walking through the palace I was stunned to find the majority of our guests were Fae, I didn't like or trust Fae not after what they had done to my beloved mate, Athenodora._

"_My lord Caius, they Fae ambassador wishes to speak with you" one of the servants said quietly, one of the Fae wanted to see me, they had the audacity to ask for me to be in their presence after what they had done._

"_Tell her she can go to hell" I snapped at the servant still walking through the halls at a brisk pace._

"_My lord, its to do with...Athenodora" the servant said with a whimper when the full force of my gaze became centred on him, he clearly expected me to kill him, and I had to admit I was tempted, but I knew if Athenodora was here she would disapprove of the action, so with a growl aimed at the boy I __used my vampire speed to race down the halls. I found the ambassador in the gardens looking over __the numerous rose bushes, most were either red or __white, but I had planted a black one for Athenodora, whose loss still haunted me thirty years on._

"_Akasha" I said in a forced civil tone. As the shapely blonde Fae turned to look at me with her eerie neon blue eyes, in total there were six founding Fae families and they each had a different eye colour, bright purple, emerald green, the lightest dove grey I had ever seen, shining red that was brighter than my own shade of red eyes, a clear yellow and then there was the most important one, neon blue, the family with blue eyes was the stronger than them all put together and by default it made them the ruling class with the others vying for whatever power was left._

"_Caius, I would ask you how you're feeling but, I already know you are filled with anger and sadness" she said in her lilting voice._

"_You don't know anything about how I feel at this moment Akasha, your mate is still alive." I hissed as the longing I felt for Athenodora came to the surface in a rush._

"_Yes, but I nearly lost her once Caius and I can still remember the pain I felt when I watched her blood drain from her, and the knowledge that I was the one who had hurt her nearly drove me insane." She said in a soothing tone and I almost calmed down, almost._

"_I didn't hurt her, I didn't even know she was gone until..." until an envoy from the Fae had returned with the news, my love was dead._

"_I know you didn't Caius, and you must be assured that my mother has found enough evidence to begin an investigation into Athenodora's murder, although it is unlikely we will find the culprit, we Fae are very skilled when it comes to hiding things like this, hence the long wait to begin the inquiry." Akasha told me softly._

"_So what you're telling me is that I may never get justice for my mate." I growled out feeling helpless rage build inside me until it felt like I was going to explode._

"_Its a definite possibility-" She trailed off lowering her head slightly "-but my mother does wish to know whether or not this will affect the relationship between our two nations" she said her voice getting an lower with each word._

"_One of your kind killed my mate for no reason other than the fact they wanted some form of entertainment, so forgive me if I no longer want our people becoming Fae friendly" I spat out, I might not have been able to protect my mate, but I **would** protect my people but that was my problem, I would never be able to fight a Fae in open combat and win, I was going to have to resort to a different method._

Shame filled me as the memory faded, I had blamed the entire race for Athenodora's death, when in reality my hate should have been focused on only three of them, and I hadn't even been the one to kill them, Akasha had found them and disposed of them but that hadn't stopped me from planning to destroy her race, and I deeply regretted it now, and I knew that what I had done was unforgivable, hell I didn't deserve forgiveness for it but by helping this young Fae and her mate I hoped to at least prove to them and myself that I'm not the same vampire I was then.

**Bella's POV.**

Denali estate was frigging humongous, words cannot describe the sheer enormity of the mansion in front of me,_ huh_ I nearly chuckled_ it wasn't a mansion it was a fucking palace._

"Well what do you think, we need an extension doncha think." Tanya said to everyone obviously trying to annoy Irina like she had been the whole ride up here and judging from the scowl Irina was wearing it was working very well.

"Don't make me hit you again, sister" Irina growled.

"Uch fine you win, for now" Tanya relented and lead us all into the house, this was when I noticed the Greek statues scattered around the front of the house, and I swear I could hear a fountain but I couldn't see it, _must be around the back._ After everyone entered the massive foyer, Carmen appeared instantly wearing a bright smile.

"Hey everyone you're just in time, your rooms are all ready and I put labels on the doors so you know whose is whose and I started dinner, it should be ready in an hour." Carmen said as a greeting before disappearing again, that was when I finally took in my surroundings, the foyer in front of me was totally made for Russian royalty with its brilliant colours and its mosaic floor, _damn our last house didn't even hold a candle to this place and it wasn't exactly __shabby, _I though as Rosalie took my hand and lead me up the ornate staircase, in no time at all we were both standing in the middle of a massive outer room, I assumed the double doors on the right lead to the bedroom, the outer room itself had a large seating area with three luxurious couches surrounding a glass coffee table while still facing a hundred inch plasma screen TV, that was perched on a wide glass unit positioned against the cream coloured, the floor was covered in a Beige mink carpet, there was a grand open fireplace that was obviously never going to get used, Carmen was be like Esme in that sense, they both wanted the pretence of a normal life. My attention was drawn to Rosalie as she glided across the room, she pulled the double doors open and disappeared inside the bedroom, an involuntary sigh broke free of me when the doors closed. Rosalie had been like this ever since her change, did she resent me for what my genetics had done to her? I didn't have a clue, but I _was _going to find out. I growled under my breath before walking back out through the door, down the hall and back down the stairs, after scenting carefully I discovered that Esme was in the kitchen with Victoria and Carmen.

"Hey kid, whats up?" Victoria asked the moment I walked into the obscenely large, it looked like it belonged in a restaurant, Esme and Carmen were both messing around with pots on top of the stove, from what I could smell the shifters were getting steak with every vegetable know to man.

"Well V, I was wondering if I could steal your mate for a minute." I retorted leaning against the shining counter.

"Hmm, can I say no?" Victoria smirked.

"No you really can't" I answered.

"Okay, Carmen take over cooking will you?" Esme directed before slowly coming over to me and Victoria.

"So whats wrong, Bella" Esme asked as the petite vampire tucked her self under Victoria's arm.

"Somethings up with Rose" I said uncertainly.

"Well, noooo you just changed her into a Fae" Victoria drawled sarcastically, she was silenced by Esme hitting her in the arm.

"More than likely thats the problem" Esme said still glaring at Victoria, _so it is my fault _I thought sadly the animal inside me was stricken that it had upset its mate, but how did I make it up to her, what had actually upset her, another question I didn't know the answer to.

"Bella, you need to talk to Rose about this...and you really need to be patient, don't be surprised if she doesn't tell you anything tonight" Esme said her eyes turning black with some unknown emotion. I tilted my head at her, trying to read her body language, all I was getting was tension, growling slightly I used my enhanced speed to reach our bedroom door in less than a second, pushing the door open roughly I felt some satisfaction when the oak door slammed into the wall so violently I was surprised it didn't come off its hinges.

"What did the door do to you." Rosalie's heavenly voice drifted out from the bedroom.

"Nothing" I answered softly, knowing that Rosalie would hear it anyway, I reached out to the side and gently coaxed the abused door closed I winced when I found a large very noticeable indentation on the lower half, _great, Carmen is going to kill me, _I thought wearily. Forgetting about it for now I headed towards the bedroom bearing Esme's words in mind, _"Be patient, don't be surprised if she doesn't tell you anything tonight" _I still didn't get it but the motherly vampire hadn't lead me astray yet.

"Hey, where did you get to?" Rosalie asked when I walked into the massive bedroom, it was about three times as big as the one we'd had in Forks, and it hadn't been small. Surveying the room I discovered that my mate wasn't on the bed or the at the desk over in the far corner, or sat in any of three arm chairs in the room, finally I registered the fact that we had a balcony and my mate had her fore arms resting on the railing.

"You didn't answer me" Rosalie said turning around to face me, my unneeded breathe caught in my throat, she was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen or would ever see, and the glowing blue eyes just added to it.

"Okay, now I'm worried-" she said coming over to me wearing a slight frown "-Whats wrong" she asked tilting her head the action made her look adorably and totally kissable.

"Don't you think that should be my line, you've hardly said a word to me in two hours" I said, concern filled me when she clenched her jaw and turned away from me slightly.

"Tonight, it...it just brought back some memories I would've preferred stayed buried" Rosalie said in a tiny voice, I was stuck from wanting to comfort her, but in the same instant I wanted to know what was wrong with her, _patience _I reminded myself _if she doesn't answer I won't push her._

"What kind of memories" I questioned softly, after several moments of silence I was convinced she wasn't going to answer.

"I'm going to tell you my story and while I do I really...really need you to stay quiet, otherwise-" She shuddered slightly and my first instinct was to pull her into the comfort of my arms, but from the way her body was tensed I didn't think she'd welcome the contact.

"I was born in Rochester, new York the year was 1915, my family was strictly middle class and my father worked a bank, I had everything I ever needed, of course there were still things I wanted...a family of my own, one day my father forgot to take his lunch to work, so my mother asked me to take it to him and for some reason she made sure that I looked my absolute best, looking back I should have known something was up, but at the time I thought nothing of it. When I got to the bank and found my father he was talking to a much younger man, I was instantly attracted to him, I mean who wouldn't have been, Royce king was the most eligible bachelor in town and his father was ridiculously rich, so naturally when he took an interest in me, I was flattered, he courted me swiftly and before I knew it we were engaged. But a couple of days before the wedding, I was coming home from a friends house, it was very late at night, I wasn't far from my house when I heard them, Royce and his friends were all under a street lamp drinking what looked like whisky. Royce grabbed me and dragged me over to his friends, they talked a little and the next instant Royce was pulling at my clothes-" I snarled before I could stop myself, I could feel the animal inside of me clawing its way to freedom, the need to kill, the need to destroy was taking over, the thought of someone hurting Rosalie, _my Rosalie_ was pushing the boundaries of my self-control, growls and snarls were freely falling from my lips as I stared into the pain filled eyes of my mate, suddenly it like the saner part of me was pushed out of the way and the Fae took over.

**Rosalie's POV.**

_Oh this was a bad idea,_ I thought to myself as Bella started shaking violently and her eyes became entirely black.

"Bella..." I spoke softly as I slowly approached my mate, suddenly Bella was gone but thanks to my enhanced hearing I could hear her as she moved past me and leapt off the balcony. Spinning on my heel I vaulted over the side of the balcony and pursued my enraged mate. Bella had already disappeared from my line of sight, but luckily I could still scent her ahead of me. Pushing myself to run faster, I was dodging trees as they rapidly appeared in front of me, Christ running this fast was making me dizzy, I could only hope that Bella was experiencing the same thing, because I wasn't going to be able to keep going for much longer, it was a miracle I was managing to stay up right with my head spinning this fast. Suddenly Bella's scent changed direction, _where was she going? _I could sense humans near by and we were running South-west, _Bethel, _oh shit if I didn't catch Bella in time she was going to kill hundreds of people, and she would never forgive herself for it, dizziness forgotten I moved faster than I had been before, finally Bella came into view, she was crouched low stalking some unsuspecting humans, her muscles tensed but fortunately I was able to pounce on top of her before she could move, I wrapped one of my arms around her throat and the other around her waist, pulling her upright I quickly started dragging her backwards ignoring her snarls of protest, suddenly Bella was ripping herself free of my arms, she turned around to face me, she starting purring softly when she saw me and tilted her head in confusion, obviously wondering why her mate was stopping her from killing her prey, when she realised I wasn't going to join her in her hunt. She growled warningly, before turning back to her prey, a big part of me wanted to let her have what she wanted, but the other part was rebelling against the thought.

"Bella-" I said softly, she turned round to face me again "Lets go home" I coaxed gently, she growled again.

"Bella please, do this for me" She took a step forward slowly, before glancing over her shoulder in the humans direction.

"No Bella, come with me" I pleaded gently even as I tensed myself, ready to pounce again if Bella tried to kill the humans. Bella snarled before leaping for the unwitting humans, a wave of adrenaline filled me and I forced myself into action, I tackled Bella to the ground catching both her wrists in my hands I pinned them above her head even as I straddled her struggling body, suddenly Bella thrust her hips up grinding them into my nylon covered cunt, heat immediately sizzled between my legs and a whimper broke free of my throat, _this cannot be happening now all of all places_, I thought even as I slowly rubbed myself against Bella instinctively, feeling my body begin to burn with need, my nipples tightened and I could feel my pussy begging for the feeling of Bella's fingers plunging in and out of me. I let go of Bella's hands and she reached up and tore my shirt open, the violent action excited me in ways it never would've before my change, I moaned gently and shrugged out of my shirt even as she ripped my bra off to reveal the swollen mounds of my breasts and the hard little points that were aching for her touch, the feeling of her hands cupping my straining mounds was the most sensual sensation I had ever felt, I whimpered and arched my back silently encouraging her to play with my nipples, she growled before taking both of my sensitive nipples in between her thumbs and forefingers gripping them with firm exact pressure, before tugging them teasingly, I cried out sharply, oh fuck that felt so god damn good, I shifted down her body slightly, groaning when the action make her pull my nipples hard, I managed to lift one of my legs up off the leafy ground and placed it in between her slightly spread legs, allowing me to grind my heating pussy against her strong thigh, I shuddered violently and started rocking myself against her, Bella sat up in a fluid motion and she licked one of my sensitized nipples while her hand continued to twist and rub my other nipple, suddenly her mouth covered my right nipple sucking on it with deep, hard pulls of her hot, wet mouth, my pussy clenched painfully, god I felt so damn empty, as I gridded my cunt into her thigh harder and faster, Bella nibbled her way across my chest and repeated her caress on my other nipple while I dug my nails into her shoulders hard.

Suddenly I found myself being turned onto my back with Bella still sucking on my nipple, she pulled back and slowly licked and nibbled her way down my body, I arched my back silently begging for her to move faster. She purred gently before teasing my navel with her tongue I groaned lightly before burring my hands in her thick red-black hair and tried to push her down towards where I needed her most, she growled again and and and the next thing I knew she was pulling my boots off and tossing them over to join my discarded shirt while she was doing this I reached down and undid the snap of my pants, I arched my hips and along with my thong I shoved them down to my knees, Bella pulled them off the rest of the way, she inhaled deeply and if it was even possible her eyes darkened even more, keeping my eyes locked with hers, I slowly bent my legs at the knee and spread them, letting her see my glistening folds, she moaned slightly before moving in between my legs, I pushed myself up on my elbows and watched as she slowly leaned forward the breath locked in my chest when I felt her tongue plunge into my aching sex.

"Oh God" I tried to scream but the sound was weak as I arched my hips up off the ground my body shuddered as Bella pumped her tongue into me several times before licking up the length of my pussy and lapping at my engorged clit, I panted softly before letting my head fall backwards. Bella was purring as she began to suck my clit in firm pulls, my cunt was burning painfully and the ache inside me was becoming intolerable as I thrust my pussy against her mouth in an erratic rhythm, I could feel my inner muscles quivering tightly.

"God, Bella! Baby please fuck me faster" I begged settling my weight onto the ground and reaching down to play with my nipples, just as I felt her slam her three of her fingers inside my dripping pussy and pounded them inside me rapidly, I could feel my orgasm building and I tugged on my nipples desperately, just as Bella curled her fingers inside me rubbing my G-spot and licked my clit with firm strokes, my inner muscles clenched down on Bella's fingers and I could feel my juices flood her mouth as I screamed in pleasure.

"-Oh my God!, Bella I love you!

**Tanya's POV.**

I was sat at the dining room table with the rest of the family, the shifters steadily munching their way through a mountain of food, _where the hell did they put it._

"Do you think we should go after them?" Alice asked anxiously from Leah's side.

"Don't worry Ali, they'll be fine" Esme consoled gently from opposite the pixie.

"Come on Esme did you hear Bella she didn't sound in control" Alice said worriedly.

"Have faith in her Alice, besides Rose is with her" Jasper reminded from his place near my side, having him so close felt completely natural, though it was odd I never really noticed him as a potential mate, now my body was howling with the need to cover him with my scent.

"Tanya I was wondering if I might have a moment of your time, in private" Laurent asked coming over to tower above me, I could feel Jasper tense beside me, I smirked, _what was with the him and his jealousy it would be annoying if I didn't find it so damn cute, _although if I said that out loud I would probably end up with his cock shoved up my ass, my smirk got wider at the thought, before I remembered where I was.

"Of course Laurent, you can have as long as you want, baby" I drawled huskily before standing up and walking out the hall, I loved the sound of Jasper's growl behind me, I lead the way through the house until we came to my personal study, it had a luxurious carpet covering the stone floor, the walls were painted red and bookcases covered three of the for walls with my desk at the back of the room.

"Do you think its wise to tease him like that" Laurent asked as he closed the door behind him.

"Jasper with soon learn that I love a man who takes what he wants." I smirked.

"I was wondering...if you could...well" Laurent stuttered and didn't meet my gaze.

"You wanna know what makes Irina hot" I finished for him, he cleared his throat nervously before nodding swiftly.

"Well my advice is to leave her alone, Irina is used to men following her around like lost puppies, if you ignore her long enough she'll come to you, and thats a fact, I've seen it enough times over the years" I sighed already imagining the oncoming dramatics with these two, suddenly there was a loud knock at the door, when it opened Alice pocked her head around the corner.

"Caius is on the phone"

**TBC. . .**

**AN: Well then, how do you like "good Caius" I would love to hear your opinions about that. Next chapter will be up as soon as possible, and who do you want to kill Aro, I'm thinking Jane, but what do you think?. 'Til next time :)**

**Oh yeah and Translation,**

**"Naturalmente il mio dolce Come potrei dimenticare"**

**"Of course my sweet how could i forget"**

**"Questo è stiamo parlando di Caio, ma fintanto che vi ricordate ci vediamo quando ti vedo, ciao"**

**"This is you we are talking about Caius, but so long as you remember i'll see you when i see you, bye"**


	14. Chapter 14

Title: Coming Home.

Pairings: Bella/Rosalie, Leah/Alice, Esme/Victoria.

Rating: M

Disclaimer: Nothing is mine, it all belongs to Stephanie Meyer.

Summary: The Cullens left in New Moon, Victoria changed Bella, together along with Jacob, Seth, and Leah they've lived in Forks for over a century. What happens when the Cullens come back.

**AN: Thanks for the reviews guys, okay first off Bella and Rose are having the baby, She/he will probably come into things within the next two or three chapters, and mixed opinions about Jane killing Aro, but its all good cause I have someone else in mind. In this chapter, Bella notices a change in Rosalie, Jane has to makes a revelation about herself, Jasper finally takes what is his and Laurent puts Tanya's advice into play.**

**Chapter fourteen.**

**Tanya's POV.**

"Caius is on the phone?, why is Caius on the phone?, the man is over two thousand years old, such an old man shouldn't even be using technology, its not natural" I kept muttering to myself as I walked back through the house and into the dining, the phone was placed at the head of the table right in front of my chair and everyone was staring at it as though it was a snake about to bite them, everyone except Alice that was, huh the pixie was trying to hide a wide smile in Leah's shoulder, _what had she gotten up to now_ I thought to myself as I sat back down at the table and stared at the receiver, _what could Caius Volturi possibly want?, _well that was a stupid question, he probably wanted to make some irrational demands.

"You know, you can't actually have a conversation unless you pick the receiver up, and in case you're wondering its that piece of plastic you're glaring at" Alice giggled softly.

"Ha ha-flaming-ha..." I trailed off and pick the "piece of plastic" up and raised it to my ear.

"What do you want Caius?" I growled all the while glancing around the table at the faces of my family, each of them either looked annoyed or worried, particularly Jane and Alec, the twins looked like they were going to be sick, when they both looked at me I smiled at them in assurance.

"Well hello to you too" I rolled my eyes at his sardonic tone.

"Yeah hi, what the hell do you want" I growled again beginning to feel nervous even though I knew there wasn't any real cause for nerves, after all even if Aro sent all of his guard we had Bella and Rosalie and they were pretty much unstoppable.

"Well Tanya, I want to help you" Caius responded, well he sounded sincere, but then that was were the majority of covens went wrong when dealing with the Volturi, they got lured into a false sense of security and then bam!, the Volturi were on your doorstep calling your number, thats what had happened to Sasha, I felt the all to familiar pang of pain in my chest I always felt when I thought about my mother, but then it was replaced by comforting waves, where the hell had that come from, but then it dawned on me, Jasper's gift. My would-be-mate could control emotions, turning my head to the blonde man his expression was filled with concern, I smiled in thanks before re-focusing my attention on Caius.

""Help" riiiight, okay so for arguments sake lets say I'm a complete imbecile and I decide to believe you what then, you tell us to meet you in a secluded area were the rest of your precious guards ambush us?" I drawled in a sarcastic tone.

"Maybe once that would have been the plan, but not now. I have information that you need, well thats if you want to survive." Caius countered, fuck that was a persuasive argument, I clenched my jaw tightly, what should I do?.

"You're going on hold for a second" I told Caius before hitting the button and placing the receiver down.

"So what do you think" I asked them, I couldn't make such an important decision without knowing how they felt because if I made the wrong one we were all fucked, they should get a say in what would probably change how we lived.

"What kind of info." Emmett asked from beside Kate near the bottom of the table, that was a good point.

"Yeah and what does he want in return" Jacob asked all the while his eyes were trained on Jane, it was obvious the shifter didn't want Caius getting anywhere near Jane, and I couldn't say I blamed him, Caius had a reputation for being _the _most sadistic member of the Volturi and he had more than lived up to it over the years.

"Anything else" I asked reaching for the phone and looking at them individually, they were all clinging to their mates in one form or another.

"All right..." I picked the phone up and brought it to my ear "...so what kind of information are we talking about, gramps?" I drawled while smiling at my own joke.

"You're unbelievably frustrating you know that ?" Caius growled in irritation.

"I have that effect, particularly on men" I said suggestively and I grinned at Jasper's sudden scowl, aww hes so cute when hes angry, it suddenly occurred to me that Caius was chuckling slightly.

"I'm sure you do, anyway the information I'm offering you has to do with the Fae and Aro's plans" Oh shit he was good at this whole negotiating thing, _the_ _bastard._

"Hypothetically, lets say that we were interested what do you want in return?" I retorted any thoughts of messing around with Caius went out the door.

"Well, hypothetically I would ask that the Fae doesn't theoretically tear me to shreds." Caius replied sarcastically, looking around the table for the third time, I saw that the rest of them were nodding begrudgingly.

"All right gramps, you got a deal" I returned with a smirk.

"Good, now then just how are we going to do this, because I don't feel all that safe on the phone, never have liked technology all that much" Caius muttered.

"Yeah thats "pieces of plastic" for you, they look safe but in reality they're just waiting for you to turn your back so they can bite you on the ass" I grinned wickedly.

"You're hilarious" Caius said dryly.

**Bella's POV.**

When I finally managed to browbeat the Fae back into its cage, I found myself in the middle of a forest with Rosalie laying on top of me completely naked and my body was humming with power in the most delicious way after inhaling deeply I could still scent the faint traces of sex in the air, and there was something else as well, something sweet and addictive, odd it smelt like Rosalie only different I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but there was definitely something different. I slowly reached up and stroked her bare back as she snuggled into me tightly.

"Are you okay now" her heavenly voice drifted out.

"Fabulous" I drawled sarcastically.

"What was it like?" She asked raising her head to look down at me with her captivating blue eyes they were shining brightly.

"Like someone hijacked my body, I could see what I was doing but I couldn't stop myself" I replied remembering loosing every ounce of my self control, I shuddered slightly all of my instincts had been focused on the hunt, but I wouldn't have stopped at just one and the worst part of all was that a part of me had enjoyed the prospect, what kind of a monster did that make me.

"Sorry" was all she said as she pulled away from me and reached over to grab her discarded pants. Why was she apologising for me loosing my restraint.

"`Sorry` for what?" I asked watching as she stood up and slipped her pants up and over her long lightly muscled legs until they were resting on her hips.

"If I hadn't told you what happened..." she trailed off and went in search of her shirt, finally spotting it near a tree she hastily walked over to it and bent over to pick it up, I groaned lightly at the sight of her firm backside encased in nylon, it was having a predictable effect on my libido. Suddenly Rosalie turned around to face me with her eyebrow raised she was holding her shirt between her forefinger and thumb and the expensive material was shredded beyond use.

"Oops" I offered with a shrug, she scowled softly before moving three feet to her right, she crouched down and picked up her skimpy lace bra as she held it up I noticed that it was ripped as well.

"Double oops" I smiled sheepishly.

"Oh it will be" Rosalie growled threateningly before tossing the useless material off to the side I didn't know how to take that threat, I dragged myself up off the ground noticing I was still fully dressed as I did so and walked over to her reaching for the hem of my T-shirt as I did so leaving me in only my black demi bra, I handed the dark material over to my mate she took it quickly and jerked it over her head and down to cover the curvy mounds of her breasts.

"You didn't finish" I sated softly as we started walking at a humans pace through the forest.

"Finish what?...oh yeah, if I hadn't-"

"No you didn't finish your story" I interrupted her.

"I don't think thats such a good idea" Rosalie said softly as she increased her pace I all but jogged to keep up with her I reached forward and pulled her to a stop before she could get to far ahead of me.

"Come on Rose, I promise not to go all Fae on you again" it was an empty promise and she knew it.

"They left me in the street to die and believe me I wanted to be, as I waited for the end I could hear them joking about Royce needing to find another bride, soon after Carlisle found me he had smelled all the blood, as I went through the change I could hear Edward's holier-than-thou tone seems he didn't `approve` of me. After the change Carlisle explained what I had been turned into and why-" She scoffed loudly "-he wanted me to be Edward's mate, but apparently I wasn't good enough for him-" She laughed bitterly "-That actually hurt at the time-" She said shaking her head in disbelief "-soon after I had gone hunting with Esme, I went in search of them I killed them all as painfully as I could but I was very careful not to spill a drop of their blood I knew I wouldn't be able to resist it and I couldn't stand the thought of having something of them in me. I saved Royce for last, so he would know I was coming for him, even wore a wedding dress, I was a little theatrical back then" She finished with a sad smirk, I reached down and entwined our fingers together offering her comfort, even as anger began to burn inside me, those fuckers were lucky they were already dead otherwise I would have thoroughly enjoyed skinning them alive. Rosalie turned to me her face was expressionless, as though she were scared I'd think less of her, I used my hold on her hand to pulled her into my arms at first she remained stiff and unresponsive but then her arms went around my waist, I smiled and buried my face in her hair. Suddenly her scent became stronger, I pulled back slightly to look at her with a frown.

"Whats wrong?" Rosalie asked concern filled her expression.

"Your scent is changing" I spoke softly even as I inhaled deeply, Freesia and Roses, so familiar and yet so different.

"Maybe its just part of me turning into a Fae" Rosalie said with a breath-taking smile, I smiled back and didn't mention that when I had turned into a Fae my scent hadn't changed at all.

"Lets go home" I said softly to her and together we used our enhanced speed to run home.

**Jane's POV.**

"Whats the big deal, he said he wanted to help us" Jacob's deep voice echoed around me as I paced up and down the length of the bedroom. He didn't get it but then how could he, he hadn't dealt with the Volturi before.

"Caius is a very capable liar Jacob" I growled irritably, never breaking my stride.

"So you're worried about this being a trap" Jacob said softly.

"If thats how you want to put it, yes I'm worried" I replied.

"Why" Jacob asked from his place, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"`Why?` Jacob has Victoria never told you about the Volturi, we're cold, merciless and deceit is second nature to us" I answered.

"`Us` you still think of yourself as one of them" He stated sadly.

"Jacob you have to understand the Volturi have been apart of me for over a thousand years, its something you can't just let go of." I answered slowly.

"I'm gonna ask you something and I think I deserve and honest answer-" I nodded in agreement when he looked at me "-If they asked you, would you go back to them" her asked with a clenched jaw. He had a very good question but unfortunately I didn't know the answer myself so how could I give him the truth.

"I don't know" I admitted, the Volturi had been my family for so many centuries but Jacob had awakened a part of me that had been buried long ago, Jacob nodded in acceptance before standing up and not for the first time I was stunned by the sheer enormity of the man who wanted to be my mate, I doubted whether my head would reached his lower chest, God I hated being short.

"Lets go downstairs" Jacob finally said with a slight smile.

"Wait, you're not upset" I asked genuinely shocked.

"I'm a little disappointed but at least you didn't say `yes`" he said before walking out the door, a smile ghosted across my lips as I followed closely behind. When we got downstairs we found Emmett and Kate laughing together as they played on the Xbox, Alec and Seth were sat on one of the couches in deep conversation my brother was smiling widely the entire time, Leah was sat on another slightly smaller couch a silver laptop was balanced on her lap and the shifter was frowning in concentration while Alice was sat six inches away from her mate, the pixie was pouting softly and her arms were crossed over her breasts she was clearly annoyed that she was being ignored by her mate, Victoria and Esme were looking over some very old books, Eleazar was talking with Bella the two looked very worried and Rosalie was looking at each of them as though they'd gone mad, I could hear Carmen moving around in the kitchen, Tanya was on the phone again but I didn't recognise the voice on the other end of the line and Jasper was close to her side, and then there was Irina and Laurent the two were staring at each other in silence.

"Whats going on" Jacob asked Alice.

"Well according to Bella, Rosalie's scent has changed witch is a really big deal because its unheard of in supernatural beings while Eleazar is racking his brain to think of a reason why that might have happened while Victoria and Esme are poring over Eleazar's ancient texts for the same reason, Tanya is on the phone with one of her old acquaintances in the Amazonian coven who has a medical degree, and Leah here is checking out possible locations for us to meet Caius without putting us at a disadvantage, or at least thats what she says shes doing, personally I think shes-"

"Buying you that ridiculously expensive diamond necklace you've been going on and on about for the past three days you know the fifty-four carat one and thats not including the gold chain or the matching earrings" Leah interrupted Alice half way through the pixie's rant, Alice turned to Leah the shifter hadn't taken her eyes off the laptop's screen but she was smiling widely, Alice squealed in delight before leaping across the couch and throwing her arms around Leah's neck, the shifter closed the laptop and placed it safely on the coffee table before hauling her pixie into her lap the two shared a deep kiss, if someone had told me three months ago that I would be feeling envious of two people in love, I'd have laughed in their face before driving them slowly insane with my power, but in this instant thats all I wanted, to belong and to love and be loved, looking up at Jacob I felt an odd fluttery sensation in my chest.

**Jasper's POV. **

I crossed my arms over my chest as Tanya finally got off the phone with whatever his name was, God why did she have to be so close to so many men and damn it why did she have to flirt with them all, did she enjoy testing my patience was that it.

"Well that was a complete waste of time, honestly you'd think between the entire male population they must have an ounce of self control, but noooo the moment I mention medical problems he instantly fires off questions about how healthy my libido is" I instantly wanted to kill the bastard who even thought about Tanya like that, now how long was it going to take me to get to the Amazon.

"...Jasper, hellooo earth to the sexy southerner" I was jerked from my assassination plans by Tanya's dreamy voice, I looked over to her with my eyebrow raised in question.

"Really Jasper why daydream, when the real thing is right here" She purred seductively, in that instant the animal I managed to keep a leash on was chomping at the bit, it wanted to force its mate into submission and it really didn't care about the entire family being within a few feet away from them, and come to think about I was totally on board with the whole, "taking what I wanted" thing my inner animal was planning and so was my hardening cock.

"Darlin` I really don't think you realise how close you are to getting my cock shoved up your tempting little pussy" I drawled my accent was getting more pronounced as lust burned strongly through my veins.

"Mmm does daddy want to spank me" Tanya purred again, it was like something inside me snapped and I was across the room in a flash I hauled her into my arms and carried her up stairs, I placed her on the ground long enough to open the door, Tanya sauntered in her ass flexing in her tight designer skirt, _wonder if she's wearing panties._ She slowly walked over to the foot of the bed a smile was gracing her full lips, my cock throbbed at the thought of those lips being wrapped around the aching flesh.

"Come here darlin`" I drawled even as I reached for the hem of my white long sleeve T-shirt, pulling it off I tossed it over to the side revealing my muscular chest.

"Or what?" She asked in a teasing tone, even as her eyes ran over my chest.

"Or I'll have to be considerably rougher than I first intended " I growled as I continued to undress, soon I was clad in only my worn jeans 'cause I didn't believe in underwear, the confining material was stretched tightly over the considerable bulge of my erection, Tanya wasn't even breathing at this point her eyes were tracing the hard muscles that made up my body and I could scent her sweet arousal in the air, I smirked when she cautiously came closer to me, as soon as she was close enough I grabbed her hips and hauled her roughly against me, my eyes fluttered as her lower stomach rubbed against my throbbing cock, I smirked again before lowering my head and crushing our lips together I took advantage of her shocked gasp and I plunged my tongue into her mouth commandingly, I licked and stroked my tongue against hers groaning when she finally responded to me. I felt her fingers dig into my biceps and she rubbed her covered breasts against my bare chest, stilling kissing her deeply I slipped my hands in between our bodies and pulled the two halves of her blouse apart, I smiled when the buttons flew everywhere, she let go of my arms so I could pull it off, I reached around her and swiftly unclipped the clasp of her bra pulling the skimpy material off and quickly cupped the generous weights in my slightly coarse hands, she panted into my mouth and moaned loudly when I started pulling on her tight nipples roughly, suddenly she wrenched herself away from me, I snarled at the lost contact but then she was on her knees in front of me, my hard on jerked in anticipation as her hands went to the zipper of my jeans, she tugged at the offending material until they were pooling at my ankles I quickly kicked them off and she was staring at the thick length of my dick standing straight out proudly, she smiled wickedly before leaning forward and licking the bulging head of my cock right before her fingers travelled my length from balls to tip, sweet mercy...my thighs bunched as pleasure slammed through me, it had been too damn long I thought groaning loudly as she opened her hot little mouth and sucked the head of my dick into the inferno of her mouth, her tongue swirled over the straining head before she suckled on just the tip her hands were stroking the base of my cock, I arched my back and thrust my cock into her mouth, fuck I could already feel my balls aching to pump my cum down her throat, Christ I was worse than a boy with his first women.

"Tanya enough" I snarled as I felt a blast of pre-come shoot out my dick, when she sucked even harder my eyes rolled back in my head it was tempting to just blow my load right there, but I wanted to be buried deep inside her pussy when I came. I fisted my hands in her hair and pulled her away from my dick ignoring her disappointed sigh, I reached down and ripped the skirt from her curvy hips, no panties I grinned.

"You can keep the boots on, sugar" I drawled huskily finally noticing the calve length tan leather boots that were about five inches. I picked her up and placed her on the side on the bed, she leaned back and spread her legs, I groaned as the intoxicating scent of her arousal flooded my senses, I knelt in front of her and nearly hissed at the sight of her wet folds right before I plunged my tongue into the quivering depths of her pussy, she cried out and arched her back as I lapped at her succulent flesh she was soon writhing and bucking her hips, my dick was painfully engorged and the need to pump her full of my seed was unbearable, I stood up and looked down at her beautiful body.

"Shift up" I ordered, she quickly move up the bed and I crawled up the length of her body, kissing a trail as I went, I looked into her eyes as I reach down to grip my cock I rubbed the head against the entrance to her pussy, before slowly pushing the thick length in, and damn if she didn't have the tightest pussy I had ever fucked, she arched her back and wrapped her legs around my hips as she struggled to take the thick width of my dick, her fingers dug into my shoulders as I thrust the last few inches inside her. I forced myself not to fuck her wildly like I wanted to but her cunt was like a tight fist milking my dick.

"Jasper baby, I'm close" she moaned, that was all I needed I pulled my cock back until only the tip was still inside the snug channel, I released a ragged groan as her inner muscles dragged over my dick and driving me closer and closer to the edge suddenly I felt the first warning contractions of her cunt around my cock, I increased the pace of my thrusts, the sound of her wet pussy sucking at my cock was driving me insane suddenly a keening cry left her lips as her pussy flexed and clamped down on the length of my dick, I groaned loudly as I exploded into her, her pussy sucked every drop of my seed into the flexing depths of her cunt.

**Bella's POV.**

I smirked when Tanya's cry echoed in my ears, _looks like Jazz lost his cool, _I shifted slightly in the bar stool I was perched on in the kitchen.

"I still don't see the big deal, so what if my scent has changed a little" Rosalie complained from beside me.

"The little fact thats its practically unheard of" I retorted gently, _and the fact that its drawing me to you like a moth to a flame._

"Uch we've had enough drama for a while, doncha think" Rosalie groaned.

"Yep, but when has fate ever cared about the damage she does" I retorted wearily.

"Mmm you said it" Rosalie grumbled she sounded tired.

"You know you look a little...worn out" I commented slowly.

"Is that your way of saying I look like crap" Rosalie said with a mock hurt expression, but know that I thought about it her eyes were darkening and there were dark purple bags beneath them.

"You look like you need to feed" I stated softly.

"Thats a negative, I fed yesterday remember" Rosalie reminded.

"Humour me" I said sliding off the stool and stood in front of her.

"Mmm fine" Rosalie muttered before sliding off her own stool.

"Such enthusiasm" I teased as I lifted the thick mane of my hair over one shoulder and exposed the right side of my neck, where her mark was found, I cupped the back of her head in one hand and gripped her hip in the other. When her sharp teeth pierced my neck I gasped loudly, as I felt her suck my venom down her throat in the same instant her arms went around my waist, she drew my venom into her with firm pulls for all of two three minutes before she pulled back licking her sculpted lips slowly, she looked a lot better her eyes were shining brightly and the purplish hue around her eyes had disappeared.

"I needed that" Rosalie sighed heavily.

"No comment, now then should we go see whos winning on the Xbox" I drawled.

**TBC. . .**

**AN: So then what did you think let me know, creative criticism is always welcome and the next update should be up in about three or four days 'cause work is hectic at the moment, joy. Anyway in the next chapter Caius meets up with Bella, Rosalie and Tanya, while Emmett and Jacob make plans to woo their ladies and Laurent's silent treatment starts to irritate Irina, and team jackass come back to Forks and they're not alone. 'Til next time guys. **


	15. Chapter 15

Title: Coming Home.

Pairings: Bella/Rosalie, Leah/Alice, Esme/Victoria.

Rating: M

Disclaimer: Nothing is mine, it all belongs to Stephanie Meyer.

Summary: The Cullens left in New Moon, Victoria changed Bella, together along with Jacob, Seth, and Leah they've lived in Forks for over a century. What happens when the Cullens come back.

**AN: Thanks for the reviews guys I luv 'em, now then I think I should warn you that lemons with B/R are going to be coming at you lot more frequently, didn't think that could happen did ya :) and they will be a lot more detailed don't give me that look its all to do with conceiving the baby. Rosalie starts having massive changes, Bella and everyone else go to meet Caius, team jackass is back on the radar and Alec has a moment with Seth. Now then on with the show. Enjoy.**

**Chapter fifteen, Rosalie's POV.**

"...Rose!...damn it come on...wake the the hell up!" I groaned softly and burrowed into my pillow trying to cling to the blissful state of unconsciousness I wasn't even aware of sinking into. My eyes flew open as I was suddenly I was jerked up right on the bed and I found myself looking into the hysterical face of my mate, the overhead lights stung my sensitive eyes and I winced before closing my eyelids and groaning in pain.

"Mmm what happened" I grumbled even as a wave of weariness assaulted me making my limbs feel like a lead weights made with the supernatural in mind.

"`What happened?`, you just scared me half to death, thats what fucking happened" Bella snarled while her grip on my biceps tightened to breaking point.

"Thats helpful" I drawled back sarcastically, opening my eyes I would have recoiled at the murderous look on Bella's face if it weren't for her punishing grip on my arms, the white in her eyes was slowly turning coal black, and there were constant low growls emitting from her chest.

"This isn't funny Rose" Bella snarled, the mixture of rage and concern on her face was making me feel smothered, oddly enough.

"Well seeing as I don't have a fucking clue what happened, I'll have to take your word for it won't I" I growled back as I tried to break Bella's vice grip on my arms, I ceased my struggles when realisation dawned on me, I didn't know what had happened, that meant that I must have been in a state of unawareness, Christ on a crutch was I just sleeping?.

"Bella, whats happening to me" I whispered as shock and disbelief filled me, Bella's rage disappeared instantly and her hold on my arms turned into a gentle caress.

"I don't know, but I promise we'll find out" Bella said helplessly, pulling me into her comforting embrace I clung to her, as dozens of questions sounded in my head but the loudest one: What was going to happen next, suddenly there was a loud knock on the door.

"Guys we gotta go" Alice called out, _go where _I thought to myself before lifting my head up to look at Bella silently asking for an explanation.

"The meeting with Caius" Bella prompted, before pulling herself free of my arms I let them drop to my side uselessly and stared at my mate as she disappeared inside our wardrobe, After finding the energy to climb out of bed I stretched out the cramps in my neck and shoulders, something else I hadn't done since I was turned into a vampire let alone a Fae, Bella re-emerged from the wardrobe with pair of white jeans a light grey tank top over her right arm arm and she was carrying a pair of four inch sky blue heels in her left hand, she seemed dumbstruck to find me stretching but she simply held out the clothes to me without saying anything. After shedding my comfort sweats I quickly pulled on my new attire and reached for my hair brush, Bella was watching me closely I could see the tension in the outline of her body.

"Brush my hair?" I asked slowly extending the hair brush, I wanted to give her something else to focus on, and brushing my hair always soothed me ever since I was a child. Bella smiled softly before taking the brush out of my hand and urging be to sit on the side bed which I did happily soon I felt the brush slide through my hair with firm methodical strokes, I closed my eyes and just enjoyed the moment and Bella seemed to as well judging from the soft purring rumbling from somewhere in between her chest and her throat, she sounded like a little kitten I thought with a dreamy smile.

"Oh Jesus are you two having sex again or maybe you just didn't hear me, let me try again-" I could hear Alice clear her throat dramatically "-Get your asses on the road!, damn sex crazed Fae" Alice muttered the last bit more to herself.

"Believe me Ali-cat if we were having sex you'd know it" I called back in an overly sweet voice, even as Bella tossed the brush over near our pillows and she slowly began to put my hair into a French braid, when she was done she kissed the top of my head lovingly I felt a little purr of my own escape my throat.

"With the pace you're moving at I've got more chance of ageing than you have of gracing the rest of us mere immortals with your majestic presences!" Alice growled from outside the door, I sniggered at Alice's impatient tone and swiftly rose up off the bed and pulled Bella along with me to the door jerking it open unceremoniously I came face to face with Alice the pixie's mouth was slightly open indicating she had been about to yell something.

"Well its about frigging time the others have already left" Alice announced before disappearing down the hallway, I grinned at the pixie's retreating back before following her all the while dragging Bella along by the hand.

"Whats up with you? You seem a little tense" I asked in a teasing tone as I caught up with Alice.

"Hello, shes away from Leah of course shes grouchy" Bella answered from just beside me, I let go of her hand and wrapped my arm around her waist for some reason I was instinctively craving body contact with her.

"Look whos talking little miss `I can't be even a foot away from Rose`" Alice retorted the worry in her voice made my maternal instincts come to life, for the love of God what was wrong with me, I had buried my maternal side when Carlisle had explained that I couldn't have children, so why were they reappearing now, this was shaping out to be one hell of a year I thought with a sigh.

"So Leah refused to stay behind huh" I asked Alice softly.

"All I wanted to do was keep her away from danger, is that so irrational of me" Alice asked quietly as we began to descended the stairs.

"Alice shes a shifter she be fine" I said softly as the pixie pulled the front door open and we all walked outside, I could tell Alice wasn't convinced.

"Look I know you're worried but we can't keep the others waiting" Bella commented, I nodded in agreement and Alice heaved a massive sigh before breaking out into a run with me and Bella close on her heels.

**Jacob's POV.**

"_Damn I hate waiting", _I thought to Leah and Seth over our mental link, not only was this Caius guy not here neither was Bella, Rose or even Alice, what was taking them so long.

"_You said it brother" _Seth replied shifting slightly on his paws, we were all in our wolf forms but while me and Seth were flanking Tanya, Leah was over by Esme and Victoria I could hear my pack sister whining softly an I could feel her misery coming through the bond, her and Alice had an argument before leaving the house, Alice hadn't wanted Leah to come because she hadn't wanted Leah to be at risk, I put it down to vampire mating instincts. I looked over to Jane, hurt bloomed in my chest she'd been ignoring me ever since we entered the clearing at first I wanted to comfort her but she was almost clinging to Alec and vice-versa, the fact that she didn't want me near her right now was killing me.

"She'll come to you when shes ready" Kate said from my left, I turned and looked down at her as a I easily towered over the vampire at seven and a half foot maybe more, I tilted my head at her slowly.

"Trust me, time is the greatest healer, that and a patient mate" Kate said sending a smile Emmett's way the brawny vampire practically glowed in happiness and I felt envious of the two, I nodded my head at her just as several footsteps echoed through the clearing, Rosalie came bounding through the bushes, as her scent drifted over to me I finally registered the slight change, her scent was enriched and I could detect something else, suddenly Bella appeared followed by Alice.

"Jesus Alice could you go any slower" Bella complained as she walked over to Rosalie and wrapped her arm around the blonde's waist the two were constantly touching as they walked over to Tanya.

"Well excuse me, your Fae-ness" Alice growled before her eyes landed on Leah, my pack sister took a few steps closer to her mate nervously, Alice was across the clearing in a flash wrapping her arms around Leah's massive neck, I could hear Leah sigh contentedly both aloud and in in my head.

"Hes close" Bella said nuzzling Rosalie's neck adoringly, suddenly a tall figure appeared in front of us, the ancient vampire was dressed in a black silk three piece suit, I could almost smell the amount money that had been spent on it, his shoulder length white blonde hair was left to flow around his flawless pale face.

"Good evening" Caius greeted us with a light Italian accent.

"Evening gramps" Tanya purred, Caius's eyes narrowed at the title but he wisely ignored it, as he looked around observing us all his eyes lingered on Bella and Rosalie and his nostrils flared slightly.

"Well then wheres the inquisition" Caius asked with a smirk, surprise washed over me, I'd expected him to avoid answering our questions, maybe he is genuine I thought looking over at Jane, her beautiful face was completely blank as was Alec's.

"You said you had information about Fae right? So why don't we start there" Tanya suggested.

"Of course what do you want to know" Caius aimed the question at Bella and Rose, Bella was standing in front of Rose protectively.

"If all the Fae were meant to be extinct how did I change" Bella asked softly.

"That I'm not sure about, you'd have to ask Marcus he was in charge of tracking them down after..." Caius trailed off and lowered his head.

"After what" Rosalie spoke up from behind Bella's protective stance.

"After I betrayed them" Caius answered so quietly I almost didn't hear him, Bella growled low in her throat and took an aggressive step forward before Rosalie grabbed her forearm.

"Why did you betray them"

"Because they killed my mate" Caius answered Rosalie's question, despite him betraying an entire race I actually felt a pang of sympathy for him, I couldn't imagine my life without Jane, even if she did avoid my emotional advances half the time.

"I can't imagine how painful that must have been for you, but that doesn't justify want you did" Rosalie sympathised gently.

"I know that now, its why I'm here" Caius said I could hear the undertone of shame in his voice.

"I don't surpose you know why Rose's scent is changing" Bella interjected.

"I would imagine its due to your hidden power-" Bella's eyes widened in question "-Allow me to explain, all Fae have a hidden power that only manifests when a Fae finds their mate, most Fae's power revolves around destruction but the leaders of the six founding families had the gift of creation, now you two both have blue eyes meaning that what ever your power is it will be very strong" Caius explained.

"Is there a way to tell which power we'll develop" Rosalie asked.

"Well I've never been in close contact with a Fae during the process, but I do know that its possible for Fae to sire children on their mates, even if they are the same gender." There was a loud gasp from Rosalie's direction, looking at the blonde her mouth was open slightly and her eyes had turned black with whatever powerful emotion she was feeling and her breathing was completely erratic, from Rosalie's response I didn't know whether this was good news or bad news for her.

"A baby" Rosalie whispered with a heavenly smile after an awkward silence.

**Bella's POV.**

_We can have kids, _I really didn't know how I felt about that but from Rose's expression she was elated, and if she was happy then so was I.

"Baby are you..." I didn't get a chance to ask my question because she was enveloping me in massive hug with her arms wrapped around my waist, I grunted slightly and wrapped my arms around her neck wincing when her arms tightened I literally felt like she was going to, it suddenly accrued to me that she was shaking uncontrollably, frowning I slowly pulled away and I found her sobbing, the sight broke my heart.

"If you don't..." I was silenced by her crushing our lips together, smiling softly I quickly kissed her back our lips moving together perfectly but before I deepen the kiss I heard someone clear their throat, I ignored them and licked Rose's lower lip begging for entrance into her hot mouth, suddenly I was roughly pulled away from my beloved.

"Seriously guys you are in a public place with your family and Caius surrounding you" Victoria stated in my ear, a growl rumbled from my chest as Rosalie's pupils dilated and her scent got stronger wrapping around my senses and making my body heat up and my clit throb, I inhaled deeply and licked my lips as I finally realised just what was in Rosalie's scent...Pheromones, the animal inside me was instantly roaring with need, the need to fuck my mate until she conceived my child, suddenly there was a searing pain in my arm right where Victoria's hand was touching me, I roughly pulled free of her grip with a threatening hiss, the red head backed away with her hands raised softly. I quickly retreated over to Rosalie and yanked her against me, snarling at everyone dangerously before reclaiming her lips she opened her mouth and I plunged my tongue demandingly into her hot mouth, fuck even her taste had changed, _honey and spice_, so sweet and addictive and all mine, she moaned loudly and sank her hands into my hair and fisting them tightly as she hungrily thrust her tongue out to duel with mine, the animal in me didn't like that at all and I roughly started to dominate the kiss.

"Oh fuck me running that is making me wet." Tanya's voice drifted out, jealousy burned through my veins, Rosalie's moans and cries of pleasure were for my ears only, the scent of Tanya's arousal assaulting my nostrils was like having acid burning the inside of my nose and the back of my throat painfully, I jerked away from Rosalie to growl at Tanya.

"Mine" I snarled pulling Rosalie closer to me possessively.

"I think we should continue this conversation another time" Caius spoke gently already heading back the way he came.

"Wait, we can always go back to our place" Esme suggested, everyone but Jane and Alec nodded swiftly but I couldn't care less right now all I wanted to do was bury my mouth in Rosalie's sweet cunt and lap at her addictive juice for the rest of the night and at this exact moment in time I didn't care if they all watched it, in fact the Fae inside me was actually turned on by the image of Rosalie creamy thighs spread wide while I sucked her clit and shoved my fingers up her pussy while our family watched me claiming her, particularly Emmett the knowledge that he had touched my mate, kissed my mate, fucked my mate was making my fists burn with the need to slam them into his face and his body right before I neutered him slowly.

"My clit is on fire" Rosalie murmured into my ear, I growled in lust before hauling into my arms bridal style and running as fast as I possibly could in the direction of home, in less than ten seconds I was shoving the front door to Denali mansion open and racing upstairs to our bedroom, bursting through the door I placed her upright on the floor, she was quickly shedding her clothes I moaned as her firm backside was revealed her generously rounded breasts with their hardened rosy nipples, and then there was my favourite area of her body, her deliciously pink folds waxed bare I smiled when you were a vampire body hair took a life time to grow back, I reached out to the side and slammed the door closed as she crawled onto the bed drawing my gaze to her glistening pussy and her puckered asshole, I felt like I was going to combust with the the lust burning through me, I quickly shed my clothes barely registering the sound of tearing material, Rosalie was leaning back on the pillows breathing heavily and her legs were spread slightly, I rushed across the room and quickly straddled my mate, the animal inside me was snarling and clawing for freedom, I inhaled deeply trying to calm myself and all I seceded in doing was drawing in more of Rosalie's intoxicating scent, suddenly my nipples were so sensitive they hurt and my clit was so swollen it felt like the faintest breeze against my over heated flesh would send me into a orgasm.

"Bella, kiss me" Rosalie pleaded arching her hips into me rubbing her abdomen against my clit, a wave of pleasure washed over me making my inner muscles spasm in a mini-orgasm, that caused me to shake as a wave of pleasure washed over me.

"Oh shit Rose, don't fucking move" I groaned out between gritted teeth, breathing deeply I leaned down and captured her full lips with my own, her mouth opened for my tongue and she closed her lips on my tongue I groaned as the suckling motion caused pleasure to storm through my body her hands fisted in my hair pulling us together tightly as her tongue began to tangle with mine. As we kissed I lowered myself onto my elbows on either side of her head, before pulling away and tailing a line of kisses down to her jaw, I nibbled along her jawline to her ear and I traced the shell of her ear making her shiver beneath me, all of a sudden I realised I didn't know how she felt about having a child and while the saner side of me wanted to ask the Fae didn't give a shit, she moaned beneath me and I slide down her body to her her straining breasts, I licked the sweet bud of her nipple her body arched tightly while I cupped her other breast rubbing my thumb over the pebble-hard nipple making her moan loudly I feathered my lips over her hard little nipple Rosalie's desperate panting filled the silence of the room, I continued to fondle her left breast while I covered her right nipple with my lips I suckled her deeply moaning around her flesh, I lashed the luscious flesh as I pulled her other nipple with my thumb and forefinger, before I slide my lips lower I pulled her thighs apart, lifting them and spreading as I lapped at her pussy with gentle strokes inside her fist tight depths her hips were bucking against my mouth as she begged for more her breathing was harsh, her cries were desperate as I tongued and stroked her. And she tasted so damn good I couldn't stop myself from thrusting my tongue as deep inside her as I could go and drew more of her into my mouth, I could feel my control start to slip something that had never happened before, with Rosalie or anyone else, the urge to just scissor our legs apart and grind our clits together until we were both screaming in ecstasy was so tempting, but I wanted to worship her she was my heart, my soul and the happiness I never thought I'd find again, I knew I would never find the words to express how much she meant to me so I would show her. I tampered down my own lust and stroked inside her gently as I gauged her need and sped up my thrusting tongue she was bucking wildly so I gripped her hips tightly and pinned them to the bed beneath us, I moved back from her dripping vagina, licked back and circled her clit with my tongue, my eyes met hers over the length of her writhing body.

"Play with your nipples, I want to watch you pleasure yourself as I fuck you" I growled roughly thoroughly aroused as I watched her cup the full mounds, her thumbs and forefingers gripping her nipples and pulling them slowly, I moaned before shoving my tongue back into her pussy, her loud cry echoed around me as I ate at her pussy.

"Mmm" I moaned against her clit as I made a slow delicious trek around her engorged nub.

"God I can't stand it" she cried out above me, I chose that moment to sink one of my fingers into her slick pussy a strangled scream broke free of her throat at the penetration I worked my finger inside her slowly easing it past the convulsing tissue, before withdrawing it and bringing it up to her lips, her eyes that had been clenched shut flew open and she looked down at me in erotic surprise.

"Taste yourself, see why I can't seem to keep my lips from your juicy cunt" I groaned before lapping at her clit again. She sucked my finger into her mouth her tongue licked at the pad of my finger, she moaned desperately as I trailed my tongue down and flicked it inside her pussy.

"Ugh...I'm gonna cum" Rosalie cried out relinquishing my finger and tugging her nipples furiously, the lust in her voice had me instantly on edge, I pulled away from her and lifted one leg over hers and one leg under hers, she pumped herself down toward me in the same instant I thrust forward our clits rubbed together easily due to our juices mingling, I gasped softly as I worked myself against her in a hard and fast rhythm, I pressed my clit to hers causing brilliant explosions of white hot heat exploding through me.

"I'm...not gonna...last" Rosalie panted beneath me, I increased the pace of my pounding, the sounds of our wet flesh slapping together, her keening cries filling my ears the scent of her arousal and the friction of her clit stimulating mine was too much for me to resist, suddenly she was wailing beneath me and arching her hips violently as her orgasm rippled through her.

"Bite me" I growled, the need to have her sinking her teeth in me was instinctive and I simply couldn't resist it, I leaned down to her and her sharp little teeth sank into my neck, it caused me to explode so hard and fast all I could do was wail as pleasure ripped through me, I continued to thrust against her and tilted my head to the side and sank my teeth into her neck her nourishing venom filled my mouth as my orgasm subsided slowly, we both feed of each other for several minutes before pulling back, she sighed contentedly as I lick the wound in her neck, and her hands stroked my back. After a while I rolled off of her and settled against her side, her eyes were half closed and a heavenly smile was plastered to her face.

"How do you feel about having a baby" I asked gently while stroking a few stray tendrils of hair out of her face.

"Ever since I was human I wanted a baby, the fact that I'll have it with you is just the icing on the cake" Rosalie answered softly before yawning, I made a mental note top mention these slight changes to Caius when I got a moment.

"Go to sleep love" I whispered gently, Rosalie's eyelids fluttered closed and her soon she was asleep, I smiled at her when she was awake she looked like an untouchable goddess when she was asleep she looked like adorable with an air on innocence surrounding her and all I could think of was how lucky I has to have her by my side. I carefully left the bed and walked over to the wardrobe I pulled a blue silk robe on and carefully walked over to the door which I only just realised I had left open, _this was going to be fun_ I thought as I descended the stairs and walked into the dining room where everyone was seated listen to Caius, I silently walked down the side of the table and sat down next to Victoria, my maker was smirking at me knowingly, and I gave her my best _"What"_ look to which she just grinned before refocusing on Caius.

"Aro intends to `kidnap` some of you to `convince` the rest of you to do what he wants" Caius was explaining.

"Does he really think I'll let him or any other would-be-threat near my mate or my family" _or my child _I added silently to myself, all I could picture was a carbon copy of Rosalie and I couldn't wait to make my fantasy a reality.

"Bella I don't have a clue what goes on in his head, but thats his plan to get Carlisle and his brat on board with whatever else hes planning" Caius responded.

"So what do we do in the mean time" Laurent asked no one in particular.

"I think you already know what _we're_ gonna be doing doncha baby" Tanya drawled with a wink at the Frenchman, Laurent's lips twitched into a smile earning him a growl from Jasper and Irina scowled a little, so obviously the Frenchman was still ignoring her, what was he up to.

"Don't `grrrr` at Laurent, Jasper its not nice, honestly" Tanya scolded her mate with a teasing smile, Jasper crossed his arms over his chest and clenched his jaw tightly he seemed to be sulking but I could scent his arousal from way across the table, I had to admire his self control though, if that were Rosalie I'd be dragging her upstairs so I could dominate her already.

"Is there anything else before I return to Volterra" I knew Caius's question was aimed at me.

"Yeah actually, Rosalie has been...sleeping" I mentioned when everyone was silent. Caius cleared his throat several times before smiling slightly.

"Has Rosalie appeared tired over the past few days, needing to feed more often, had an increasing need for sex" I nodded at each of his questions as he asked them.

"Then I dare say the young miss hale is already either pregnant or will be very soon" Caius answered bluntly, _holy mother of God_ I thought as a mixture of shock and happiness filled me _we are gonna be parents. _

"Congrat-" Whoever was about to say something didn't get a chance, using my Fae speed I ran upstairs shoved the door open and slammed it shut before rushing over to Rosalie, I pulled the sheets off of her sleeping form and laid my forehead against her flat abdomen reverently, I couldn't think of what I had done to deserve such a perfect mate or that I would be blessed further by having her bare our child, I smiled joyfully.

"Bella what is it?" Rosalie asked sleepily.

**Alec's POV.**

As Bella fled the room faster than my eyes could see, everyone fell into an comfortable silence.

"Can you imagine a mini Rose running around" Emmett suddenly chuckled to himself.

"Nah come on, titch will be exactly like Bella" Jacob said with a wide grin.

"Who he or she is like doesn't matter, its whether or not they've got fashion sense thats important" Alice chipped in with a thoughtful expression, I smiled at them marvelling at how at how comfortable they were with each other.

"This is so typical" Seth's deep vice filled my ears, looking at my tall shifter, I found he was smiling widely as the rest of his family started arguing on what baby grows to buy, no matter how much I wanted to I couldn't think of them as my family yet, not until my sister made up her mind, but whenever I tried to build emotional walls again Seth he just ripped them down already I couldn't picture being away from him the thought made my chest hurt, and I knew it was the same for Jane so why was she resisting, all she would succeed in doing was hurting herself just like she'd been doing for the past thousand years, I knew she blamed herself your both of us getting turned into vampires but I couldn't heal that wound I didn't even know how, but Jacob could I saw it clear as day every time he looked at her, if only she'd let him, I sighed inwardly.

"Hey, you okay" Seth's concerned voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

"I will be" I replied with a smile, he frowned slightly but didn't press the issue for which I was grateful, but I also felt guilty, he was offering me everything I could ever want and I wasn't giving him a thing in return and to make matters worse he was completely understanding about it all not asking for anything.

"Seth, would you tell me about your childhood" I asked softly hating myself for asking something I knew I wouldn't be able to return. His beautiful face practically lit up and damn if I didn't feel something bloom in my chest something like...love.

"OH MY GOD!" I nearly jumped out of my skin when Rosalie's joyous scream thundered through the house.

"Well ah...what do you want to know" Seth asked after a while.

"Everything" I supplied eager to learn whatever I could about the man I was falling for, hard.

"So I grew up in La push, when I was fifteen I shifted for the first time just after Leah, things progressed in a flurry of patrolling the border and and trying to restrain Leah from killing Sam and Emily-"

"Whos Sam and Emily" Alice suddenly asked, and I realised everyone was watching us with half smiles.

"Way to do bro, I really appreciate it" Leah drawled sarcastically as Alice looked at her expectantly.

"Sorry Lee" Seth muttered as Alice gave the female shifter a "well" look.

"Sam was my fiancée and Emily was my cousin, Sam imprinted on Emily and the two lived happily ever after, the end" Leah growled even I could hear the hurt in her tone and evidently the pixie wasn't happy with Leah's answer but she quickly crawled into Leah's lap offering her the comfort of her touch. "You were saying" I prompted Seth softly.

"-Well after that Victoria started infiltrating our lines, looking for Bella because she wanted revenge for James but-"

"When I found her it was in the middle of a night and she was having a nightmare and kept muttering Edward's name, so I shook her awake and when she saw me she actually said `thank God its over` in that instant I knew I could kill her instead I offered to turn her so that if he ever came back she might have her revenge, though I did kinda hint that I wanted to flip a coin for it" Victoria smirked even as Esme gasped loudly.

"What is it" Victoria asked Esme concern evident in her voice as she gazed at her mate.

"I had forgotten that you were mated" Esme admitted softly, Victoria's eyes darkened with emotion but she smiled at Esme lovingly, I looked at Seth silently prompting him to continue once again.

"Well after Bella had been turned she of course had to fake her death, Jacob was so distressed that when he heard Bella had died in a `car crash` he rushed over to Charlie's but on the way he scented Bella and when he found her she was feeding with Victoria, Bella quickly explained why she'd become a vampire and that she was going to be leaving town, Jake offered to go with her and once Leah found out about Jake leaving she used it as an excuse for getting away from Sam and Emily while I went because my mom thought that we should stick together, we travelled for a while before settling in Tibet, soon after we all decided to come back and then we all found our reasons for existing" Seth finished with a pointed look, I smiled at him contentedly.

"Why were you so upset when you thought Bell was dead" Jane suddenly asked in a cold tone, Jacob looked very nervous all of a sudden and his expression clearly read _"oh shit"_

**TBC. . .**

**AN: Yay Rose is having the baby though I gotta asked, should it be a boy or a girl. How do you think Jane is gonna react to the "whole Jacob was in love with Bella" thing, now I say that the next update will be up in the next four or five days but knowing me it might be sooner =D `til next time.**

**Oh and `****quintin grey`****was this lemon detailed enough for you? I hope it makes up for any disappointments in the past.**


	16. Chapter 16

Title: Coming Home.

Pairings: Bella/Rosalie, Leah/Alice, Esme/Victoria.

Rating: M

Disclaimer: Nothing is mine, it all belongs to Stephanie Meyer.

Summary: The Cullens left in New Moon, Victoria changed Bella, together along with Jacob, Seth, and Leah they've lived in Forks for over a century. What happens when the Cullens come back.

**AN: Thanks for all the feed back guys I really appreciate it, and I have made my decision about whether its gonna be a girl or a boy though I'm not telling you yet, it would ruin the surprise, now then in this chapter Jane opens up to Jacob and has a slight run in with Rosalie, Kate gives Laurent some advice about Irina and of course lemons between Rosalie and Bella. **

**Chapter sixteen, Jacob's POV.**

Oh shit, oh fuck, just kill me now please God became my mantra as I followed Jane upstairs and into our bedroom, if I lived through this I was going to kick Seth's little ass all over the state and then I was going to ensure that the one wearing the pants in that relationship was Alec. I winced when Jane shoved the door open, I had a feeling that the doors were reinforced with something like titanium or some other strong metal, because the resounding slam of the door connecting with the wall was enough to make me wince.

"So lets have it" Jane snarled rounding on me with a cold glare, I winced when I saw her eyes were black with emotion, I couldn't stand the thought that I had hurt her and hell me and Bella were best friends though we hadn't spent much time together since the Cullens got back not that either of us could complain after all we had both found our mates within a couple of days of each other. I reached to pry the door away from the wall and closed it tentatively, before sighing roughly.

"I don't know what you want me to say, yes once when I was a kid I was in love with Bella" I admitted hoping that honesty was going to help my situation, but judging from her narrowed gaze I had just landed myself into more shit.

"And you didn't think to mention that" Jane demanded.

"No because nothing happened" I responded calmly, even if I did expect her to unleash her power on me but if that was what made her feel better I'd endure it.

"So what _did _happen, because its obvious that you haven't been telling me everything" Jane growled, I felt anger rise up inside me, damn it all to hell I told her things about me and I got nothing in return, I tried to build emotional bridges and she burned them, and for some stupid reason I still wanted to be with her if only she'd let me in.

"All right fine, I loved Bella when we were kids, when I shifted for the first time and they told me about imprinting I was crushed when I didn't imprint on her, but when she was changed she realised that she was a lesbian and ever since then we've been really close friends ever since, what more do you want to know" I demanded, feeling utterly lost one minute she was completely distant the next shes acting like a jealous spouse I didn't know what to think.

"Oh I don't know how about if theres anyone else I need to worry about" she snarled, _worry about_ I nearly smiled she really does care about me, but maybe she doesn't realise it yet I thought with a frown. Maybe shes not used to feeling emotions but if thats the case, how the hell did I make her realise what she felt for me was more than just tolerance, jeez I got my work cut out for me, but I would do whatever it took.

"Theres no one else Jane, you're the only one I want for fucks sake what I feel for you makes what I felt for Bella look like a crush" I exclaimed sincerely.

"It doesn't matter, you were in love with someone else whereas I don't even know what love is" She suddenly exploded, she didn't know what love was, did she mean that shes never been in love before, my wolf howled in possessiveness at the thought.

"Have you ever been in love" I asked softly slowly taking a step toward her I really just wanted to hold her right now.

"No Jacob I haven't-" She replied in a tortured voice "-My entire life has been filled with violence, hate for God sake my father tried to have me burnt at the stake, my brother got turned into a vampire because of me-

"Wait, what do you mean" I interrupted softly her eyes were shining brightly.

"That night, it wasn't the first time I saw Aro, I met him several days before after I had an argument with my father, Alec had run off into town and I wanted to be on my own so I went into the forest that surrounded our estate, I was sitting by a small lake when Aro appeared, we talked for a while his voice was so hypnotizing I told him everything and before I knew it he said he needed to leave but that he would see me again." Jane explained softly, I clung to this tiny piece of information about her.

"How is that your fault" I asked gently, I didn't know why she blamed herself but I'd be damned if I'd let it continue for a moment longer.

"If I had resisted Aro if I'd been stronger then he wouldn't have come back and we wouldn't have been turned" Jane tried to explain, I knew she was trying to convince herself as well as me, and it wasn't working, I stalked forward purposely and pulled her into my arms, she burrowed into my chest and wrapped her cool arms around waist, I felt like howling in joy, my mate was finally in my arms she was finally opening up to me, _at last._

"Babe you couldn't help what happened, it wasn't your fault" I spoke softly to her and held her tightly.

"But I still feel like Alec should hate me" Jane whispered into my chest.

"He loves you and so do I" I admitted, she lifted her head up to look at me, I smiled down at her before leaning down her slowly giving her plenty of time to pull away I didn't want her to feel pressured, she made a small noise in the back of her throat before pulling away I let her go instantly.

"I'm sorry...I just need some time" Jane whispered.

"Don't worry, fact I was kinda expecting it" I smiled.

"Why are you so understanding" She asked abruptly.

"Because you need me to be"

**Bella's POV.**

Watching Rosalie sleep was one of the most soothing things I had ever experienced, the simple way her chest rose and fell, the aura of peace around her and her stunning face was flawless as usual. I stroked her forehead soothingly loving the way she turned her head into my touch, this displayed a level of trust that moved me on so many ways, not for the first time I found myself wondering how we could have been so close together all those years ago and not seen how much we would mean to each other, God I was such an idiot, I actually thought I loved Edward I nearly laughed out loud, jeez what had been wrong with me. Suddenly Rosalie started to stir in her sleep, I crooned to her gently and wrapped my arms around her hoping that she'd stay asleep for little bit longer, no such luck.

"Mmm...I'm hungry" She grumbled, my neck started tingling in anticipation as she tilted her head up to look at me, she smiled softly before climbing out of bed, okay what the hell.

"Babe your food source is right here" I drawled as she started rummaging around in the cherry-wood chest of drawers, after producing a pair of light grey sweat pants and a white T-shirt she pulled them, concealing her body from my view.

"And as much as I love your taste, I really fancy chocolate and bacon...ooh and ice cream." She purred before disappearing from the room at Fae speed, What in the hell is wrong with her, chocolate and bacon thats just nasty, really and ice ream well thats okay I guess but seriously human food, oh God I've ruined her, its my fault when she has had the baby shes gonna kill me for doing this to her. I quickly climbed off of the bed and yanked my silk robe on before using my Fae speed to follow my mate. I found her in the family room, and only shit she was eating enough food to feed a third world country.

"Hey baby, you want some" She offered, I smiled awkwardly how do you tell the love of your life that may or may not already be pregnant that hell would freeze over before you ate crisps with cream.

"I not really hungry, but thanks" I tried, thankfully she smiled and returned her attention to the TV, huh Jeremy Kyle the fifth, and this idiot is doing the same stuff as his predecessor.

"Hey guys...holy fuck, Rose whats wrong" Alice exclaimed as she entered the room with Leah the two were smiling at each other, looking back I found Rose crying, my protective instincts came to life with a roar.

"Baby whats wrong...tell me so I can go kill it" I prompted as the Fae inside me started growling eager to start hunting whatever had upset my mate.

"Its...hes...why is he cheating on her...shes a nice girl...and hes banging her sister." Rose sobbed while pointing at the TV, I opened my mouth to say something but closed it again when Rose suddenly started growling at me.

"Your not cheating on me are you?" She snarled as her eyes started to darken in jealousy, she slowly stood up and advanced on me, I back away steadily Jesus what should I do.

"We're gonna give you a minute" Leah suddenly stated.

"Don't you dare leave me" I growled as Rosalie started baring her teeth at me in a snarl.

"Mother fucker you're cheating on me with Leah, how long" Rosalie growled, even as Leah and Alice made a run for it, _traitors._

"You didn't answer me" Rosalie growled as every ounce of white in her eyes turned black.

"Baby I'm not cheating" I tried to reason with her, goddamn it where had this come from.

"So come on is she better than me" I felt my back collide with something solid which left me between a hormonal woman and a...wall.

"I wouldn't know because I haven't slept with her" I persisted.

"Are we interrupting something" Jacob's amused voice caught my attention, turning my head to the side I found him and Jane standing in the middle of the family room, he was smiling widely and Jane well she looked pissed off, the tiny blonde started hissing angrily at...me, man I was pissing a lot of blondes off today and it was still early.

"Bitch you hiss at my woman one more time and I'll shove my boot so far up your ass Alec will feel it" Rosalie suddenly snarled turning away from me and facing Jane. I rolled my eyes thats just great one minute shes accusing me of cheating on her the next shes going all protective on me, though I gotta admit the snarls coming from deep in her chest were kinda hot, Jane smirked suddenly and I was reminded of her power, for the first time since I changed into a Fae I used my shield, spreading it out to include Rosalie, hell this was an effective way of keeping her safe why had I never thought of it before, then again I have been kinda distracted lately.

"Uh Jane don't you need to feed or something" Jacob suggested taking a hold of Jane's arm and pulling her in the direction of the door, the tiny blonde relented and allowed herself to be pulled toward the door but not before she snarled at me again, I growled back at her in the same instance Rosalie took an aggressive step forward. When Jane and Jacob were gone Rosalie turned around and flung herself into my arms and nuzzled the base of my neck lovingly, I sighed harshly and wrapped my arms around her, inhaling her scent deeply and willingly drawing her pheromones and damn it to hell, they caressed every one of my senses until they were filled with nothing but Rosalie, suddenly I could feel the firm mounds of my breasts begin to ache and my nipples harden in the same instant the plump lips of my cunt began to tingle with arousal, my body trembled as need pulsed through me.

"Hey kids" Carmen greeted as she Esme, Victoria and Tanya burst into the house, I winced as my clit began to throb painfully.

"Hey guys" Rosalie returned but she didn't move away from me, damn woman it was taking everything I had not to beg her to relieve the burning ache between my legs.

"So I called my little friend down in Brazil and he reckons that, you're going to crave each others touch until junior is born" Tanya called out before disappearing inside her study, and how long was that going to be I wondered to myself.

**Emmett's POV.**

I followed Kate as she sped through the forest I was dimly aware of the scent of deer a couple miles in front of us but my eyes were glued to Kate's graceful form, her pale hair was tied back away from her face, her curvy torso was clad in a white blouse that was tucked into a black pencil skirt that left her toned thighs bare and her feet were encased in calve length leather boots, I really hoped there weren't any hikers around because if they saw her they'd know she wasn't human after all it was like minus 15 degrees outside meaning she should be freezing her firm ass off. Suddenly she increased her speed and I followed her example and soon we were pouncing on our unwitting prey. After draining the deer we left their carcasses on the floor trusting wild wolves to find them.

"So what do you want to do today" I asked as we walked home at an unhurried pace.

"You decide it seems we are always doing what I want" Kate replied.

"Yeah but I like doing what you want" I smiled.

"Come on just pick something already" She growled in mock irritation, she was cute when she did that I though to myself.

"Umm how about we go and annoy Laurent" I suggested, the Frenchman had been on his own a lot lately I was beginning to think he felt unwanted.

"Em, Laurent is still trying to win Irina over, he really doesn't need us messing around with him" Kate growled before playfully punching me in the arm.

"Aww come on...please" I gave her my best puppy dog look, it always got me what I wanted in the end.

"For God's sake...fine...but don't ever use the puppy dog look on me again" she growled before breaking out in a run.

"Score" I said drawled to myself before bounding after her with a shit eating grin on my face we found Laurent hunting near the border.

"Hey Laurent" Kate greeted as she stopped in front of the Frenchman.

"Good evening" he replied in his light accent.

"So me and Em were wondering how the whole wooing Irina was going" Kate asked, the Frenchman turned to face us them and I nearly flinched at the look of pure hopelessness in his eyes.

"Not very well-" Laurent whispered and crossed his arms over his muscular chest "I don't know what to do, maybe I should just come back in a few years" her sighed, I couldn't imagine how badly he was hurting right now to even consider leaving his mate I knew I couldn't do it no matter what happened between me and Kate.

"No!, thats the worst thing you could do" Kate exclaimed suddenly.

"Well what should I do, I've tried ignoring her like Tanya said, I've tried begging and avoiding her and it actually hurts not hearing her voice even if she is insulting me half the time." Laurent growled, damn Irina is really pulling a number on the guy why couldn't she see what was right in front of her face even I could see that he would do anything for Irina.

"Listen all our lives we had people worming their way into our lives and our hearts and then they get taken away or they just leave, so if you leave her now she'll never forgive you, and then where will you be" Kate snarled.

"So what you're saying is that I should just be persistent" Laurent asked after a while.

"Duh" Kate drawled sarcastically.

**Bella's POV.**

_This was fucking ridiculous_ I thought to myself as is shifted on my feet inside the cold shower, or at least it was supposed to be cold but my body felt like it was going to spontaneously combust any second, I breathed deeply and leaned my back against the cold tile and spread my legs slightly, I quickly slipped my right hand in between my tense thighs I found my wet centre and closed my eyes as I moved my fingers over my swollen clit, I shuddered from the luscious sensation my legs tightened as I felt the all too familiar tension gathering in my pussy, heat flared through my body. I moved my other hand to tweak the nipple of my left breast, the exciting flare of the pinching pleasure sent shock waves down to my sensitive clit as I continued to stroke the bundle of nerves. Behind my closed eyes I imagined Rosalie just where I wanted her, on her knees in front of me one of my legs thrown over her shoulder, I imagined her lips on the slick folds of my cunt rather than my fingers, her tongue licking me my hips jerked in response, a lightning stroke of sensation travelled through my body as my pussy contracted, the need to call out Rosalie's name was becoming over whelming. My breathing was heavy my need was rising by the second and I couldn't find my release, my fucking body knew the difference between Rose's touch and mine. My breasts were swollen, my nipples fiery pinpoints of exquisite pleasure, my cunt throbbed and I could feel my slick juices coating my fingers even as the water from the shower head cascaded down my desperate body. I moaned and moved my fingers faster on my aching clit I arched my back straining for my climax.

"BELLA!" I cursed when I felt my orgasm slip away from me and descended into a burning ache in my lower abdomen.

"Bella! Get your butt downstairs we need your opinion on something" I panted heavily and withdrew my hand from in between my legs with a defeated whimper, oh this better be good or the pixie was a dead woman I growled to myself as I turned the shower off and opened the glass door to the stall, I grabbed a cream coloured towel and dried off my body and hair, before tossing it over into the hamper, and pulling my robe back on for the second time today. Out in the bedroom I ran a comb through my damp hair and headed back down stairs after scenting deeply I discovered Alice, Esme and Rosalie out in the grounds surrounding the mansion I walked toward the back of the mansion and opened the double doors and stepped out onto the patio the sun was hiding behind a load of clouds, I found the other women sat at a table looking over several pieces of paper, why did I have a bad feeling about this?.

"Whats so important" _that you had to interrupt me trying to get off _I added silently to myself.

"Baby decisions" Alice announced.

"You know we don't actually know whether shes pregnant or not just yet" I reminded.

"Oh please after earlier you really think theres even the slightest chance that shes _not _pregnant" I nodded my head slightly in agreement.

"Wait what happened earlier" Esme asked with a slight frown.

"Oh you just missed Rose's homage to the exorcist" I stated bluntly Alice giggled softly and Rosalie made a soft noise in the back of her throat and placed her forehead against the table and Esme looked like she didn't know whether to laugh or to scold me for embarrassing my mate.

"So baby decisions" I said after Alice had stopped giggling and Rosalie had lifted her head up slightly.

"Yeah we were wondering how you wanted to decorate the baby's room" Alice answered while reaching for a catalogue.

"Isn't that kinda impossible, until we know whether its a he or a she" I asked barely glancing at the numerous colours Alice had circled.

"Two words sister `neutral colours` hence the whites, light yellows, beige and besides we can always change it later on, now furniture" Alice started flipping through pages while Esme produced a white laptop and I assumed she was going through various websites, I sighed and sat down in the chair next to Rosalie, so this was important stuff but seriously couldn't it have waited for a few more hours I thought to myself as my body registered my mates presence and promptly began to heat up, this was going to be a long couple of hours I sighed as Esme and Alice started comparing ideas even as my body began to demand its mate's touch, for fucks sake I thought it was Rose who was meant to be the nymphomaniac not me, I could hear Rosalie begin to purr from my side, turning to face her I found her lips parted slightly and her pupils dilated in lust, the ache in between my legs came back with a vengeance.

"I'll be back in a minute" I growled at Alice and Esme and all but ran into the house I was so focused on the heat building in my pussy I didn't notice Rosalie following until I found myself being jerked back against her in the middle of the hallway, I hissed in arousal when I felt her breasts being pressed into my back and her hands sliding down my arms in a soft caress she dropped her hands down onto my hips and she moulded our lower bodies together tightly, I placed my hands over hers as her breath against my neck sent shivers of pleasure coursing through my already sensitive body suddenly I felt her lick the circular mark on my neck, _her mark._

"Untie the robe" She growled into my ear just before she raked her teeth over her mark roughly, I moaned softly and released my hold on her hands before following her instruction, not caring that anyone could walk by and find us at any second. When I managed to untie the silk sash she slipped one hand up and cupped one of my swollen breasts, though the other paused at my lower stomach rather than travelling further to my throbbing cunt, God I really needed her to touch me, I moaned in need and bent my neck to the side granting her better access to my neck even as I took hold of her wrist and tried to force it down to my wet centre.

"Mine" She growled possessively and her hand trailed further down to rasp her fingers against my slick folds I whimpered and arched my hips into her touch.

"More" I whispered desperately she growled and slid her finger through my honey covered slit painfully slow, I could feel my pussy spasm leaking my juices and coating her teasing fingers, my unneeded breath left my lungs in a rush as she circled the entrance to my cunt.

"Rose, please" I whispered, just before a gasp of pure sensation left my mouth as she penetrated my burning core, she groaned in my ear and I moaned as I felt her finger pushing inside me, fuck that felt so damn good, I reached around and dug my nails into her thighs as she slowly dragged her finger along my inner muscles and rubbed them again as she pushed back inside me, I gasped as the palm of her hand rubbed my clit and she pulled at my diamond hard nipple sending shock waves down to my over heating cunt.

"Hey guys have you seen...mother of God!" Emmett's voice boomed around me distantly I really didn't car as I bucked into Rosalie's touch, a soft cry of distress left my throat as she pulled away from me, I reached out and braced myself against the wall as Rosalie flashed over to where Emmett was standing with wide eyes, I leaned against the wall and tried to ignore the pounding ache in my cunt and retied the two sides of my robe together just as Rosalie took hold of Emmett's shirt and threw him down the long hall, he landed with a pain filled grunt and his back left an indentation in the marble floor, Rosalie snarled and slowly advanced on Emmett, I blinked rapidly trying to quell the need that was still pulsing through me and rushed down the hall after my territorial mate.

"Rose...baby lets go upstairs, huh" I purred as I placed my hands on her hips and rubbed our hips together hoping the action would distract her from Emmett, I gave the overgrown man a pointed look and he quickly got up and ran out the house and I was swiftly pulled upstairs.

**Esme's POV.**

I hid my smile behind my hand as Rose swiftly followed Bella inside the house and kept my eyes firmly glued to the laptop screen.

"I really don't know why you wanted my opinion on this, I'm better at general interior designs not baby proofing, which might I add I seriously doubt we'll need, and come on I doubt he or she will appreciate designer clothes just yet Ali" I stated as I continued to scroll down the page.

"You never know when you'll need these things and if I have any say in things titch will be wearing the latest fashions for the rest of their natural lives" Alice replied as she pulled her cell phone out, oh dear God now what was she up to, listening carefully I discovered Alice was on the phone to the hardware store, I rolled my eyes and shut down the laptop before closing it gently.

"The hardware store Alice this child is going to be Fae, I really, really don't think you'll need to buy socket protectors" I drawled to my pixie daughter.

"Like I said you never know, I mean what if the baby is really vulnerable when they're young, that reminds me I'd better check the measurements of the stair case that way I'll know what size stair-gate to buy" Alice was gone in a flash leaving me alone on the patio, I surpose she had a point for all we knew the baby could be born like Bella seemingly human with all a humans weaknesses, we really needed to find a way to question Marcus about that but how did we get into Volterra without Aro or one of his minions noticing.

"Hey baby" Victoria's musical voice surrounded me, I tilted my head in the direction of her voice and before I knew it she was capturing my lips in a soft kiss I smiled and kissed her back, she'd only been gone half an hour but it felt like a lot longer.

"Don't mind me" I heard Leah drawl, I pulled away to glance at the shifter, she was sitting down in the chair next to Alice's and was happily munching on an apple.

"Sorry Leah" I apologised as Victoria sat down next to me and took my hand in hers and entwined our fingers.

"No seriously don't mind me, I haven't seen so much action since Alice found out about titch." Leah smiled.

"But that was only yesterday" Victoria pointed out as she used her thumb to stroke my wrist soothingly.

"And mating season is just around the corner" Leah replied, oh crap I could just see how Alec and Jane were going to react to that. Suddenly Alice was sitting in her chair again, she didn't even acknowledge Leah and Victoria's presences as she produced a notebook out of nowhere and proceeded to write in it.

"So what did you two get up to" I asked Leah and Victoria.

"Well...we kinda went over to Cullen manor" Victoria answered reluctantly.

"WHAT" I exclaimed, it was bad enough that they came over here trying to make trouble without some of us doing the same.

"Whoa it wasn't like that though it was tempting, we only went over to make sure they didn't come back with any little surprises" Victoria explained as Alice finally noticed they had joined us.

"And" I prompted.

"Far as I could tell they were alone" Victoria stated softly.

"Yeah they were in the process of congratulating each other on being `masters of the universe`" Leah answered adding air quotes on the end.

"Oh God I can actually picture them using those words" Alice said with an amused smile, we all laughed slightly at the picture.

"So what were you guys up to" Victoria asked while gesturing to the scattered catalogues, notes and the laptop.

"Baby decisions" Alice answered with a small smile.

"Uh I'm no expert but shouldn't that be left to the parents" Leah pointed out.

"Well I tried getting them involved but they are currently having wild sex and I can't exactly barge in on them to ask whether or not they like this baby grow, I mean I would but after I just got a load of the Emmett shaped indentation in the marble floor I thought to myself, do I really want that to be me" Alice answered rapidly.

"She has a point" I commented and Victoria and Leah both nodded in agreement.

**Bella's POV.**

After Rosalie dragged me upstairs and pushed me onto our plush bed I instantly shed my robe and tossed it over the side and waited for her to get out of her clothes with my hips arched slightly my body was humming with desire craving her touch like I had all day. She crawled onto the bed and came to lay down beside me, I moved against her needing the heat and passion that practically vibrated though her, our gazes locked and I traced the velvet smoothness of her lips with my tongue they parted just as she began to breath harder her eyes were gleaming with hunger I reached up and tangled one hand in her silky blonde hair and pulled her to me I closed my eyes as I slid my tongue between her lips and tangled it with hers tasting her and becoming intoxicated on her passion. I felt her arms go around my waist and she pulled me closer to her as she moaned into our kiss, our bodies twisted together as the kiss heated I rolled her over so she was stretched out in the centre of our bed our lips never separated her hands trailed down to my hips as we kissed in lustful abandon, I tore my lips away from hers we were both breathing heavily, my cunt tightened at her heavy lidded gaze and I sat up on my knees beside her, her hand reached up caressing my side until she was cupping one of my breasts I arched my back as a moan slipped past my lips and my nipple hardened further, it felt like the tip was on fire as she rubbed it with her thumb, suddenly she sat up in one fluid motion and her mouth covered the peak of my breast, I jerked as pleasure flayed my body sharp spears of pleasure shot down to my cunt, I sank my hands into her long golden hair as her tongue curled around the tip, her hot mouth sucking at my flesh hungrily, her hands clenched my hips once again as she shifted her mouth over to cover my other nipple she moaned softly against me that sent vibrations down to my weeping cunt, I could feel my juices coating the bare folds of my pussy and the sensation was only heightening my arousal, suddenly she pulled back with a wicked smile and lay back down.

"Straddle my face" She growled with a glint in her eye, I quickly followed her instructions crawling up the bed on all fours while she shimmied down a little, I placed my knees on either side of her head and looked down her perfect body, pale skin, full rounded breasts with their rosy nipples, toned abdomen down to her own glistening cunt, I felt her soft hair brush my inner thigh as she raised her head and then she licked from my aching clit to my weeping entrance, I cried out as violent shudders jolted through my body preparing me for the orgasm I knew was only minutes away.

"Mmm fuck you taste good" she purred against my throbbing clit then she licked around it with a slow teasing stroke I pressed myself harder against her tongue desperate for a little more pressure, it was all I needed. She trailed her tongue lower and thrust it inside me, the penetration was hard and fast making me moan in abandon as she began to stroke it in and out of me in hard moist thrusts, the slurping sounds of her mouth against my soaked pussy was driving me closer and closer to the edge, when my release came I shuddered roughly my clit exploded from her thrusting tongue.

"Ugh Rose!" I cried out as she continued to lick my painfully sensitive pussy, I moaned as she twirled her tongue around my clit one last time before pulling back and shifter out from under me, she was smiling widely and purring softly.

"Ready for round two or do you want to rest" She asked with a cocky smirk.

"By the time I'm done with you, you'll need to sleep for a week" I growled as my body recovered from my explosive orgasm.

"I'm waiting" Rosalie grinned, I smirked before making my move.

**TBC. . .**

**AN: So how did you like hormonal Rosalie, if there is anything you want to happen in this fic or theres anything I can improve on let me know 'cause your thoughts and opinions mean a lot. Next chapter, Bella and everyone else contemplate going back to school, Victoria has a surprise lined up for Esme, Irina warms up to Laurent slightly and Caius subtly tries to get Marcus on side, the next chapter will be up in ****four or five days 'cause along with a load of work I get to babysit my sisters twins. 'Til next time. **


	17. Chapter 17

Title: Coming Home.

Pairings: Bella/Rosalie, Leah/Alice, Esme/Victoria.

Rating: M

Disclaimer: Nothing is mine, it all belongs to Stephanie Meyer.

Summary: The Cullens left in New Moon, Victoria changed Bella, together along with Jacob, Seth, and Leah they've lived in Forks for over a century. What happens when the Cullens come back.

**AN: Thanks for the reviews guys I appreciate it, anyway I'm glad everyone is on board with the whole school idea, okay in this chapter Kate and Emmett get closer, Leah and the rest of the shifters have to tell their mates about mating season, Irina actually talks to Laurent, Fuckward is back and Rosalie flips again.**

**Chapter Seventeen, Tanya's POV.**

"All right family, we got a lot of stuff to discuss, mainly the whole school issue, so hows everyone feel about that" I asked my family, once again we were all sat around the dining room table, well everyone except Irina, damn that woman was being evasive, big whoop she found her mate honestly whats so scary about it, yeah he has that whole French accent and I swear hes been wearing the same clothes for centuries judging from the tan waist coat but this should be enticing her to take charge to change his ways before he starts looking like a Martian, hell I think that waist coat was worn back in the sixteen hundreds and it was like 2111 or something like that.

"Are you sure that letting Rosalie go to school in her condition is such a good idea" Alice perked up, I pursed my lips for a minute, Rosalie was severely hormonal right now going from the horror stories and the large indentation in the marble floor in the hallway, Carmen had not be happy about that not one little bit until Rosalie had re-emerged from her bedroom and apologised for her behaviour while batting her eye lids much to Bella's annoyance, Carmen had swooned at Rosalie's puppy dog look and even I had to admit she had looked all cute and cuddly well she had up until Jane had walked back into the house with Jacob on her heels, the two had promptly began hissing at each other like two cats, it had been amusing the entire time I had been comparing a kitten hissing at a pregnant lioness, and me and Jasper had even made bets on how long it would take for one of them to attack the other, though we'd both lost because Jacob had grabbed Jane and all but dragged her upstairs and they'd only just come back down nearly three hours later, I found myself wondering what they'd been doing, they weren't having sex I knew that much, Mmm maybe the kitty had opened up to her wolf at last, its about frigging time.

"The deal with Rose is that she isn't going to be very far away from Bella, that way they'll both be able to keep each other calm." I answered honestly, I had already though of a way to ensure that they were in all the same classes, flirting with the principal.

"Yeah but what happens if both of them loose control" Jasper drawled from beside me.

"Well baby, thats where the rest of us come in" I purred.

"How do you suggest we stop two enraged Fae's, darlin" Jasper questioned crossing his arms over his chest.

"Right we need to think of an emergency procedure just in case they do flip, would that make everyone feel better" I spoke to them all, they all nodded and I couldn't help but notice the Fae in question weren't objecting but them that might have something to do with the fact Rosalie was in Bella's lap nuzzling her mates face and neck like she hadn't touched Bella in years while Bella purred distractedly, aww they're cute.

"Okay so if the happy couple will give me their attention for like two seconds" I called down to them, silence was my response.

"Hellooo honeymooners" nothing.

"Yo horny teenagers" again nothing.

"Hey can we make that a gang bang or..." there was a slight growl this time but no coherent words.

"Umm, okay someone smack Rose's ass and run away" I called down to everyone, they all grinned but didn't budge, I didn't blame them even I didn't want to, and that was saying something.

"Ya know if ya gonna get it on at the table, you could at least loose a few layers-" I called again and before I knew it Bella and Rosalie were lip locking "- I wasn't being serious, no Rosalie keep your hands away from Bella's breasts...uh huh Bella do not I repeat do not touch those buns...aww hell there goes the top everyone lets get out of here."

**Caius's POV.**

"Evening brother" I turned when I heard Marcus's voice, my brother was dressed in a light grey suit with his shoulder length black hair tired back at the nape of his neck.

"Brother" I nodded in his direction, before returning my attention to the prehistoric paintings that covered the walls of our private archive only us three and Eleazar had ever been inside these walls not even the witch twins had been given access to our personal library, the paintings basically showed the long relationship between vampires and the Fae, it wasn't a pretty sight hence the abundance of red paint.

"Why the sudden interest in the Fae" Marcus asked as he came to stand beside me.

"Do you believe we did the right thing" I answered his question with one of my own.

"Having doubts brother, you were the one determined to see them hunted to the edge of extinction" Marcus replied avoiding giving me a straight answer.

"And yet you let one live" I countered, why was it always a game with us, we always danced around each others questions put off giving straight answers, we were family and yet we were scared of revealing too much, frankly I was tired of it.

"What makes you say that" Marcus crossed his arms over his chest.

"Because I found her" I spoke softly, barely above a whisper.

"Have you told her" Marcus turned toward me.

"What that she is a direct descendant of the first Fae making her the sole ruler of all our kind, no I thought she'd have enough to deal with after all her mate is pregnant" I growled, truth be told I didn't have a clue how to tell her, so I had avoided it.

"You know I could just go to Aro with this little titbit I'm sure he would be very happy to learn that the girl he wants to serve him is actually the one person who is prophesied to kill him and you've been in contact with her" Marcus drawled.

"Yes you could and Aro would have me killed, but then you'd be on your own and we both know you'd never be able to avenge Didyme without me, if fact I wonder if her loss even hurts you at all, I mean its been over seven hundred years and I've never seen you even attempt to to get justice, and you know as well as I do that Aro is the one who killed her" I snarled, before the last word was out of my mouth I felt Marcus's fist slam into my abdomen causing me to double over with a pain filled groan.

"I loved Didyme just like you loved Sulpicia, and I would give anything to have her returned to me" Marcus growled in a shaky tone I winced and straitened my back so I could look him in his red eyes they were shining brightly, the vampire equivalent of tears, I instantly felt guilty using Didyme had been a despicable move on my part but it had to be done.

"I share your pain brother, but wallowing in self-pity isn't going to honour her memory" I whispered gently.

"I miss her" Marcus whispered back, I placed my hand on his shoulder.

"So what do you say, do you want to live in Aro's shadow for the rest of eternity or do you want to make sure Akasha's heir takes her rightful place" I asked, already knowing the answer.

"Where do we start"

**Emmett's POV.**

Since becoming a vampire I have never felt real pain but right now my shoulders and back were absolutely killing me, I winced and shifted slightly on the large bed I was sitting on in mine and Kate's bedroom.

"Hey are you okay" Kate asked coming into the room and closing the door softly.

"Yeah being thrown around like a rag doll by my ex...its my ego thats hurt more than anything" I joked pathetically.

"Yeah right thats why you're doubled over like an old man and you aren't hiding that wince very well, want me to get you an ice pack" Kate teased.

"I can't help but notice the lack of sympathy in your tone, come on woman I'm hurting here" I exclaimed.

"See thats all you had to say-" Kate purred and slipped onto the bed behind me "-Take your shirt off" she ordered.

"You trying to take advantage of me in my weakened state, honey" I drawled even as I pulled my shirt off as she'd instructed.

"Mmm yeah something about a weakened man just gets me hot" she retorted right before I felt her hands on my shoulders, she rubbed them slightly before digging her finger tips into them with just the right amount of pressure, a groan broke free of me when she began massaging my tender muscles, coaxing the tense muscles to relax, when she got to my upper back she pressed her thumbs into my shoulder blades and dragged them down the length of my spine she repeated this process until the pain in my muscles depleted.

"Better?" She purred into my ear sending shivers down the length of my body, I did my best to ignore the way my body reacted and rolled my shoulders, instead of shooting pains I felt a slight protest but nothing too major.

"Much-" I answered, now that the pain in my muscles had gone I finally noticed the close proximity between us, my body instantly heated and my dick began to make its presence known "-I'm going in the shower" I said quickly and flashed across the room and into the spacious bathroom, the floors were cream coloured and most of the walls were covered with white tiles except the back wall where a mirror covered the entire area, in the centre of the _en suite_ was a massive jacuzzi that you could fit about seven fully grown men and still have room for more, the shower was in the corner and it was big enough for about three fully grown men, I knew that every _en suite_ in the house was the same and they had obviously designed with Tanya in mind, big enough for an orgy. I kneeled down so I could unlace my combat boots, I straitened and toed the boots off and balanced on one foot so I could pull each of my socks off after that I undid the front of my jeans and pulled them down over my semi-hard cock and let them drop down to my ankles I kicked them free and headed over to the shower, after pulling the glass door open and reached out and turned the shower on and stepped into it relishing the initially cold water, but it soon warmed up and my damn if my cock didn't decide to harden completely, great, ever since promising Kate I'd wait for her to be ready I had been forced to jack off several times a day and it wasn't bloody working any more, whenever Kate was around my instincts were to mate. I sighed roughly and reached down to wrap my hand around my engorged cock and hastily began stroking the thickly veined shaft hissing at the bolts of pleasure that erupted from the action, suddenly a blast of cold air flooded the steamy cubicle, I released my throbbing flesh and turned around to find Kate standing gloriously naked, holy mother of God she was stunning her blonde hair was thick and lustrous, the strands framed her face and fell down her back in a curtain of white silk, I didn't trust myself to look at the rest of her I knew that if I looked at her perfect body I'd loose control and I wanted out first time to be as gentle as I could manage. The spray of hot water from the shower head was forgotten as she stepped close to me and pulled the glass door behind her.

"I need you" She whispered the words I had been longing to hear. I raised one hand and cupped the side of her face ignoring my own demanding body, she leaned into my hand and closed her eyes.

"Are you sure" I asked softly when she nodded I pulled her body gently against me and I slowly pressed our lips together, she gasped and moved her lips against mine, I licked at the seam of her lips silently begging entrance, I couldn't resist plunging my tongue past her lips and tangled it with hers, she tasted like my own brand of ambrosia, she wrapped her arms around my neck pressing the full mounds of her breasts into my chest and causing her stomach to rubbed against the straining length of my erection I struggled for control, I wanted this to last, I wanted her so hot and out her mind with pleasure it was the least I could do because she had finally allowed me to touch me as I longed to. I reached down and brushed the backs of my fingers over the curve of her breast and groaned as I felt her nipples hardened. The soft pink tips were elongated and stiff with her arousal they were so fucking tempting. My cock throbbed with the demand that I take her now, but my heart screamed that I touch her lovingly first. I pulled my hand back and gripped her hips I lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around my lower back, I backed her into the wall, her heating core was rubbing against my washboard abs causing her to mewl softly into my mouth, I lowered my head, breaking the kiss, I smoothed my cheek over the curve of her breast until I could rake my lips over her nipple, her gasp of pleasure echoed around me. I took the hard bud in between my lips and swirled my tongue around the tip, I tugged at her nipple gently with my teeth delighting in her moans of pleasure I sucked the tender point into the the moist depth of my mouth and drew on it with in a firm motion that had her jerking in my arms, I felt her hands sink into my hair as she arched her back into my suckling mouth. I managed to slip my hand in between our bodies, I ran one of my fingers over the plump curves of her pussy until I found the swollen bud of her clit, I circled it teasingly before running it down to the hot slit to test the readiness of her cunt, I burrowed my finger between her flesh, sliding it easily through her juices until I circled her wet opening slowly while cupping the curves of her cunt with my palm. She groaned at the slight pressure on her clit, I rubbed the heel of my hand against her soaked clit she moaned deeply and I sank one finger into her her pussy, then retreated and thrust back into her slowly, I continued to suck on her nipple, soon enough she was writhing against the wall and panting heavily, I added another finger and quickened the tempo of my thrusts feeling her inner muscles spasm around my fingers, I curved my finger tips inside her searching for that sweet spot that was sure to drive her insane with pleasure, finally I found that soft spot and rubbed it hard and fast she cried out above me.

"You ready?" I asked softly as I buried my fingers inside her knuckle deep, she was dripping wet but I wanted to hear her say it.

"Mmm yes" She moaned, suddenly the animal inside of me was growling in a primal need for domination and damn me for a selfish fool I couldn't couldn't resist.

"Kate I need..." I trailed off and gazed up into her eyes, she seemed to read my thoughts because she let her legs drop from my waist, I pulled my fingers out of her hot pussy, she braced her hands against the wall and bent over slightly with her legs spread, I quickly slid the blunt head of my erection against her slick pussy, her wet flesh seared the head of my cock, I gripped her hip and pulled her onto her tip-toes creating the extra height needed so I could lodge the head of my cock to her cunt. Kate screamed out my name as I pushed my cock forcefully into the tight, clenching depths of her cunt I hissed when her silken walls gripped my shaft like a vice as I continued to stretch her tight muscles, I buried my dick inside her until my balls were pressed tightly against her firm backside, I pulled out of her slowly and thrust into her again hard and fast pounding her cunt each stroke causing lashes of pleasure.

"Touch yourself" I grunted into her ear and thrusted harder into her, loving the way her inner muscles milked my sensitive flesh, I looked over her shoulder as she took one hand away from the way and slipped it in between her legs, she cried out sharply and I felt her inner muscles clench warningly on my cock, suddenly a scream broke free of her throat as her inner muscles spasmed around my cock, that was all it took, I shouted as I began to pump her full of my cum, hot and hard pulses my knees actually went weak at the force of my orgasm, I buried my face in her neck as she trembled in aftershocks.

"Mark me" she forced out from between pants, a mixture of joy and shock filled me, finally she was going to be mine in more than just name, I licked the length of her neck until I found the area where her neck met her shoulder I sucked it lightly.

"Be sure, baby" I was compelled to say against her neck.

"I'm sure Em" I grinned happily before sinking my teeth into her neck she cried out roughly.

"-I love you" I smiled against her neck as her words sank into my heart and soul.

**Alice's POV.**

Minus Kate and Emmett, we were all sat back at the dining room table, and once again Rosalie was in Bella's lap but at least they weren't nuzzling each other like two cats in heat this time.

"Right then time for round two-" Tanya announced taking her place at the head of the table "-Does anyone remember what we were talking about before our resident exhibitionists engaged in their sexcapades" Tanya asked glancing at everyone of us.

"I think we were talking about what we should do if either Rosalie or Bella lost their cool" Leah offered from beside me.

"Oh yeah...any ideas cause I don't have a flaming clue" Tanya stated shaking her head slightly.

"Well, sometimes I can feel when I'm going to lose it so as long as theres an exit close by I should be okay" Bella chipped in.

"Eh its good enough for me, Rose how about you" Tanya asked my blonde sister who was currently playing with the long tresses of Bella's hair.

"No, no, no man come ooooon" Tanya whined and pressed her forehead to the table when Rosalie refused to acknowledge her and instead focused on her mate I giggled at Tanya's tone.

"Rose baby we can play later, I think Tanya is trying to ask you something" Bella drawled with a smile aimed at Rosalie, the blonde in question pouted before glancing at Tanya with an annoyed scowl.

"Can you tell when you're going to loose control or do you just flip out" Tanya asked bluntly, Rosalie looked offended all of a sudden before her eyes narrowed.

"Get ready to run" I whispered to Leah, as Rosalie started growling.

"Shit what did I do" Tanya questioned with a befuddled expression.

"Are you implying that I can't control myself" Rosalie growled as she climbed off of Bella's lap and advanced on Tanya, Jasper tensed beside Tanya clearly prepared to put himself in Rosalie's line of fire earning him a growl from Bella.

"Rose shes not implying anything shes just asking you whether or not you can control yourself" Bella tried to explain as she stood up and rushed toward her mate, suddenly Rosalie whirled to face Bella the brunette didn't have a chance to defend herself before Rosalie's hand connected solidly with her cheek the resulting crack sounded like fireworks going off as Bella's head whipped to the side.

"I can control myself, I'm not a common whore you know" Rosalie snarled before exiting the room, Bella watched her mate as she walked from the room.

"What the hell!" Bella suddenly exclaimed loudly.

"I think you better go after her" I offered with a sympathetic look I really wouldn't want to face Rosalie right now.

"No thanks I choose life" Bella growled and sat down again, rubbing her cheek where Rosalie had hit her.

"Ah I don't think thats a good idea, I mean what if she has another mood swing" Leah stated, I nodded in agreement with my mate.

"Yeah for all you know she could be upstairs crying" Victoria chipped in.

"Or she could be planning world domination" Bella countered with a wide eyed look, I couldn't help but chuckle in amusement.

"You know having her hormones dictate her actions can't be easy for her, I think you should go talk to her" Esme interjected.

"Ya got a point-" Bella sighed roughly "-Anyone got a white flag" she finished with a hopeful look.

"BELLA" we all growled in synch, we all knew she was avoiding the inevitable confrontation.

"I'm going, I'm going" Bella mumbled as she walked out the dining room.

"Drama, drama, drama" Irina commented with a sigh.

"You said it sister" Tanya growled.

**Edward's POV.**

Where the hell were they, I snarled as I searched the abandoned house from the scent it had been empty for about a week.

"There is nothing here, we should get going" Carlisle stated coming through the front door.

"How dare they leave, they were supposed to be here so we could ambush them" I growled as I walked toward my father.

"I know son, but we'll find them"

"And when we do?"

"Then they'll have realise that we wont let them get away from us"

"I can't believe Bella would do this, she should have been waiting for me."

"Yes she should have, but don't worry she'll soon get bored of Rosalie and then she'll come back to you, its the law of nature, females are attracted to the strongest males"

"If thats true then can I have Tanya as well?"

"My son you can have them all if thats what you want but Esme is mine"

"Of course father" I replied gleefully.

**Alice's POV.**

"You know its getting kinda late" I stated softly as Leah walked out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel that displayed her lightly muscled thighs, I was stretch out on our bed waiting for my wolf to come to bed, I knew I hadn't been satisfying her since I found out about titch but I was so excited about the outfits I was going to make sure he/she was dressed in.

"Ali its like, what...quarter to two" Leah responded as she sat down on the side of our bed.

"In the morning, and my little wolf you actually need to sleep" I pointed out, as I sat up and shimmied over to her.

"`Little wolf`, I'm six-foot-three _my little pixie." _Leah retorted with a smirk.

"Oh height has no say in this, I have been on this earth longer than you, that makes you _my little puppy" _I smiled at her sweetly.

"Now I'm a puppy, you really know how to charm a girl, Pixie" Leah pouted.

"Aww look at my puppy pouting" I teased earning me a mock growl from my mate.

"You're pushing it" Leah growled.

"Mmm is my puppy getting irritated" I purred an leaned into her side so I could lick and nibble her bare shoulder.

"Wait we gotta talk first" Leah groaned softly as I nibbled along her collar bone, though I couldn't get that far because she has still sitting on the side of the bed.

"About what" I asked as I raised my head up to look at her, her face was flushed, her eyes were wide and I could hear her heartbeat increasing rapidly.

"How would you react if I said that for one month every year I go into heat" Leah asked hesitantly, a thousand thoughts rushed through my mind all of them involved me pleasuring Leah until she howled with ecstasy.

"I'd smile and make another puppy joke" I grinned up at her.

"Well then I'm not saying anything" Leah breathed deeply, I chuckled softly, aww she don't like the puppy jibes, oh well I could think of a few things I could do to make up for them. I laid back against the pillows and slowly unbuttoned the black silk blouse I was wearing and pulled it open, revealing my pale abdomen and my lace covered breasts.

"A whole month, mm I think we need to get some practise in" I purred reaching down to pull the zipper of my black pencil skirt down giving her a glimpse of my red lace thong, so glad I had already taken my boots off.

"Doubting your stamina love" She retorted before releasing the obstructive towel, revealing her full breasts with their light brown nipples, the toned muscles of her stomach and then...that fucking towel was covering my favourite part of her.

"Woman, theres nothing wrong with my stamina." I growled defensively and sat up removing my blouse.

"Prove it" She challenged as she shifted around and crawled onto the bed.

"Oh you're gonna regret that" I drawled as she straddled my hips, I reached down and dug my nails into her lightly muscled thighs and raked them down to her knees, she shivered and leaned down to me.

"Don't make promises you can't keep" She whispered our lips were separated by mere millimetres, I used my hold on her to roll us over so that I was on top of her.

"I make a point of always keeping my promises" I replied softly before leaning down to her bracing my weight on my hands on either side of her head and possessing her lips as gently as possible and licking her lips just as tenderly, she parted them and I slowly slide my tongue inside as she ran her hands up and down the length of my back with a feather light touch. She slowly began to let her tongue dance with mine in a sensual rhythm, before I pulled back and raked my teeth down the strong column of her neck the urge to mark her was strong, but I didn't know how her body would react to my venom and I wasn't going to risk her health just to sate the animal within me, so I settled for sucking on her pulse point, her heartbeat increased with a jolt and her blood began to flow quicker tempting me to sink my teeth into her I could tell she would taste divine how could she not when every other inch of her was perfect. I slid further down her body to the straining mounds of her breasts, my growl joined her cry as I covered one of her flushed nipples. My tongue lashed at it as I sucked it in deep, I scraped my teeth over the bud causing her to shudder beneath me, I nipped at the hard peak before filling my senses with the feel of her, the taste of her the heady scent of her dampening pussy. I grinded my hips against her bare pussy letting the material of my skirt cause delicious friction against her clit, her heat of her pussy seared through the thin material strait to my own core, I moaned against her nipple before kissing my way over to her other nipple, her responding cry sent a shock of satisfaction through every cell in my body. Suddenly I was reminded about my little toy hidden away in the bed side table.

"Did I ever tell you about my dildo" I purred against her flesh, judging from the way her hips canted up to me, I guess I didn't.

"Mmm maybe not" I answered my own question, before pulling away from her and reaching over to the side table, I slide the top draw open, the thick blue dildo was in plain sight, I wrapped my fingers around the vibrating toy and pulled it out before pushing the drawer closed.

"Wanna play?" I purred holding it up to her gaze, the scent of her arousal became so strong my venom flooded my mouth, I slowly crawled back over to her loving the way her eyes stayed glued to the eight inch dildo, her entire body was shaking when I settled beside her on my stomach and slowly pressed the toy to her lower lip, our eyes locked as her tongue darted out and swirled over the tip.

"I can smell how hot you are" I flattened my other hand on her abdomen before slowly sliding it upwards and tucking between her breasts, her heart was pounding. I pressed the dildo to her lips, feeling my own arousal heighten and my clit throb as she accepted the toy, I pulled it free of her mouth and drew a slow path down her chin, between her breasts then along her stomach I stopped it at her navel enjoying her mewls of excitement. I bypassed her glistening cunt and instead stroked the thick dildo against her thighs, I smiled when her muscles jerked.

"You're gonna have to spread your legs for me baby" I crooned, she began to pant as she parted her thighs for me, I hissed involuntarily when her soaking folds were revealed to me, I trailed the tip of the dildo over her wet folds, I circled her clit watching as she arched into the touch, I slowly dragged it down until the head was tucked between the folds of her pussy.

"Bend your knees" I whispered softly, as she changed position I moved in between her legs, I slowly began to push the dildo inside her, she moaned loudly and arched her back, she was so wet I easily pushed the long toy inside her inch by inch until my hand was pressing against her clit, she bucked her hips into me, I twisted the thick dildo before pulling it out till only the tip remained inside and shoved it back inside her cunt, before repeating the action over and over gaining in speed and depth until she was crying out beneath me, her pleasure filled cries were having a predictable effect on my own pussy, my juices had soaked through my thong and my throbbing clit my was demanding attention, I continued to pumped the dildo in and out of my mate all the while I straightened one of her legs and hastily straddled her toned thigh and pressed my aching clit into her firm muscles, gasping at the sensations, I rode her thigh hard and fast, the surging motion combined with her hot moans had my inner muscles clenching painfully in warning, suddenly Leah shuddered violently beneath me before tensing entirely her scream echoed around me throwing me over the edge with her, ripples began in my cunt then exploded through my body with enough force that my back arched involuntarily, I cried out sharply as my pussy continued to quake in ecstasy. I groaned weakly and collapsed on top of her feeling her arms wrap around me.

"Mmm, ready to go again" I purred while she continued to pant.

"All ready?" she gasped softly.

"Told you there was nothing wrong with my stamina" I grinned evilly, while she whimpered.

**Victoria's POV.**

"We have a hell of a family" I drawled to the remaining members of said family.

"At least eternity isn't going to be dull" Irina agreed softly.

"I think I've forgotten how to be bored" Tanya commented with a sigh.

"So how do you two feel about going to school, I mean we won't make you go if you don't want to" Esme asked the twins how had remained silent thorough our little meeting.

"Never been to school" Jane answered barely even glancing at my mate.

"Well its a regular thing whenever we move around, and Seth and Jacob will be going as well so theres really nothing to worry about" Esme said soothingly.

"I'm Jane Volturi I don't get worried" The tiny blonde snapped at Esme.

"Watch your tone" I growled warningly, I knew it was proving difficult for her to settle with us but absolutely no one used that tone with my mate.

"Or what" She countered.

"Jane please" Jacob whispered softly, Jane looked up at Jacob her expression changed into one of caring and maybe...longing.

"No, maybe we are throwing changes at them a little too quickly" I said softly, finally imagining things from their point of view, one second they were the strongest members of the Volturi's guard, then they get imprinted upon after that we pretty much moved instantly and now we were suggesting they go to school, jeez sometimes we are really insensitive.

"I'll go" A nervous voice drifted over to me, I turned towards Alec he was staring at the table in front of him, clearly he'd never gone against Jane before judging from the way she was looking at him with wide eyes.

"If Alec wants to go, then I suppose I will try" Jane finally conceded much to everyone's relief.

"Okay Tanya can you organise it" I asked the elder vampire.

"Whoa if theres a job that involves shaking your ass to distract someone then I'm your girl, but when it comes to forging documents its Irina you gotta talk to" Tanya replied hastily.

"Well thats gonna change with a fuckin' quickness" Jasper snarled, his eyes turning black with jealousy.

"I bet you wouldn't say that if I was shaking my ass at you" Tanya turned her attention on her pissed off mate with a smirk.

"Thats different..." Jasper began.

"Well technically its not"

"Tanya I'm your mate-"

"So that gives you the right to change me"

"I didn't say that-"

"Ah ah yes you did you said 'thats gonna change with a fuckin' quickness', and before you argue I have witnesses" Tanya retorted in a flawless southern accent.

"Hey why don't you make him give you a strip tease" Irina interjected before Jasper could answer his mate.

"I like that idea" Irina smirked at the dark look Jasper sent her after Tanya spoke.

"Think your man enough baby" Tanya drawled to Jasper.

"You're on darlin" Jasper growled and promptly exited the dining room with Tanya close on his heels.

"Ya know she basically pressured him into that" I commented to everyone.

"Yep" Irina nodded with a smile.

"Is this a common occurrence for you three" Laurent asked his reluctant mate.

"Pretty much, we're always trying to one up each other, but I warn you now do not go anywhere near Kate on April fools" Irina warned.

"I'll keep that in mind" Laurent smiled a little, Irina smiled back before clearing her throat and walking out the room.

"Well at least she didn't belittle you this time" I pointed out to the Frenchman.

"Its a start-" He agreed "-anyway I need to go hunting" he stated before he too left the room.

"And well we need to talk to you both" Seth said to the twins, the four of them swiftly left.

"I'm feeling the love" I drawled when I was alone with Esme.

"The kids are all growing up, hey have you seen Carmen and Eleazar lately, cause I haven't" The love of my life asked softly.

"I think they flew out to the Caribbean yesterday cause its their anniversary tomorrow" I commented.

"You know they've been together for just over four hundred years"

"How long were you with Carlisle"

"Three hundred and sixty five years"

"Not like you were counting"

"Hey you asked, how long were you with James"

"Three hundred and six years"

"You know I kinda...forgot that you were mated...before"

"James was like my best friend and my lover, it wasn't a true mating, his loss hurt more than I care to remember but..._you _have more or less healed me completely" I spoke honestly, she smiled softly and we fell into an intimate silence.

"What do you want to do for our anniversary" She asked after a while.

"I dunno, never been one for flashy stuff"

"How come?"

"I was a nomad for the first three hundred years of my life, it was only after I turned Bella that I started using the billions of dollars I had saved over the years and wearing shoes" she chuckled slightly.

"Yeah I remember when I first saw you"

"Oh God how bad was my first impression"

"Hmm I remember thinking you were completely nuts" I burst out laughing at her blunt admission.

"Yeah I had that effect back then"

"Did you even notice me"

"Well baby you were trying to hide Bella and when I saw you my first thought was, and please don't hit me for this, 'boring house wife'" I closed my eyes and prepared myself for a slap.

"Huh yeah you probably have a point so what do you think of me now"

"Well honey now I think you're a total MILF-" She frowned slightly "-`Mom I'd like to fuck`" I purred, her eyes darkened instantly, _oh yeah._

**Seth's POV.**

"So how do you want to do this" I whispered to to Jacob as we followed behind our mates, if we just turned around and said _hey we are going to be __horny for an entire month so how about it._

"I haven't got a clue" Jacob replied in a nervous tone not that I blamed him, oh crap what was I supposed to do if she used her power on him, if I did nothing then Jake would get tortured and if I did something he'd kick my ass for messing with his mate. This was going to be a frigging disaster. When we walked into the family room, the twins were sat on the couch with impassive expressions.

"So what is it" Alec asked after me and Jake just stood in the doorway like a couple of idiots.

"Right...well...um, you know we shift into wolves right" Jacob answered for me.

"We did notice" Alec pointed out with a smirk.

"Yeah, but what you didn't know is that, once a year just like wolves we go into heat, and you're our mates..." I trailed off when their eyes widened, here it comes.

"'Heat' as in you..." Alec swallowed hard, well at least he wasn't running away.

"As in I'll get horny for a month and the only one I'll be remotely interested in is you" I answered truthfully.

"And you didn't think to mention this say when I agreed to stay with you" Jane growled at Jacob she sounded pissed but I could sense her underlying fear.

"At the time I was a little overwhelmed..." Jacob attempted to explain himself.

"Look the main thing you need to know is that our wolves are pretty much going to be in complete control during this time, so if you don't want this you can't be in within a twenty five mile radius of us or we'll sense you" I interrupted Jake before he could put his foot in his mouth because I really didn't want to be around when the fireworks went off.

"When will you-"

"I estimate a week maybe a little longer" I interrupted Alec smoothly, he nodded softly but that didn't tell me whether he was okay with the whole thing or not.

"Well this isn't an everyday occurrence-" Alec sighed after a while "-But I think I'm ready" He finished, I sighed in relief that I had not unintentionally ruined our blossoming relationship. I looked over at Jane, she looked paler than usual and her eyes had gone entirely black in...fear.

"Jane-" Jake asked his mate "-You okay?" he finished in a soft tone.

"Oh yeah I'm fucking marvellous" Jane replied in a squeaky voice, _yep she was scared._

**Bella's POV.**

I pushed the door to our bedroom open and tentatively pocked my head around it, scanning the room, Mm everything was in place nothing was smashed, I slipped into the room and very, very quietly closed the door.

"Are you doing that because of me" I nearly jumped out of my skin when Rosalie's voice drifted over to me.

"Is that horribly insensitive of me" I countered,_ you idiot shes gonna take that the wrong way isn't she_ I scolded myself, I flattened myself against the door and waited to have my head chewed off.

"From the way I acted earlier, can't say I blame you" she answered coming around the corner wearing a red silk robe.

"Hey you're pregnant, you're supposed to get hormonal, oh shit what I meant was..."

"I'm a hormonal mess with a hairspring trigger" Rosalie finished for me, I'm not saying a thing, na uh not a damn thing.

"Say something please" Oh for fucks sake, she just wants we to say something stupid doesn't she so she can nail my ass, I'm mated to a sadist.

"Ummm, how are you feeling" I tried, she smiled softly.

"Different"

"Is that good or bad"

"Why don't you stop hugging the door and come see for yourself"

"Yeah why not" I peeled myself away from the door and cautiously approached her, when I was standing in front of her she tilted her head at me.

"Am I that scary"

"Yes...No, not at all. Why would you say that"

"Because you're not touching me, like you normally would"

"Sorry, I'm being an idiot" I answered before placing my hands on her curvy hips and pulled her to me, her arms went around my neck and she purred softly.

"So what happened after I went loco" she murmured.

"Can't remember"

"Jeez how hard did I hit you"

"Well at least I didn't go through a wall"

"Ugh don't joke about it, I already feel bad enough"

"Honey forget about it 'cause I already have"

"What did I do to deserve you, huh?"

"Can I have a second to think about that one-" I teased earning a soft scowl from Rosalie "-Come on lets go to bed"

**TBC. . .**

**AN: So what did ya think, now next chapter, Marcus and Caius start making plans, Irina goes missing, Bella and the everyone else start school and Carlisle finds Esme home alone while Victoria is out hunting, yep major drama ahead, now is there anything you guys want to see happen?, the next update will be up in five days, 'Til then. **


	18. Chapter 18

Title: Coming Home.

Pairings: Bella/Rosalie, Leah/Alice, Esme/Victoria.

Rating: M

Disclaimer: Nothing is mine, it all belongs to Stephanie Meyer.

Summary: The Cullens left in New Moon, Victoria changed Bella, together along with Jacob, Seth, and Leah they've lived in Forks for over a century. What happens when the Cullens come back.

**AN: Thanks for the reviews guys I love the feedback, now like I said the kids are all going to school minus Irina cause shes gone AWOL, Jane and Alec get overwhelmed because they never went to school back in the day, and I'm happy to announce that one half of team jackass gets killed, now on with the show.**

**Chapter eighteen, Rosalie's POV.**

"Do I look fat in these" I asked looking down at the tight white slacks I had just pulled on an judging whether or not I needed to change, a tiny presence in the back of my mind was yelling that I was being paranoid, but I couldn't help it. It was like the normal me and the hormonal me we both in a speeding car fighting over the steering wheel, and that crazy bitch was winning.

"Like I said the first few thousand times you look amazing, as per usual" Bella assured me and for a second I felt relatively satisfied with my appearance, white slacks with black boots, dark grey tank top with a lighter grey sweat shirt over the top because after all this was Alaska and it would look kinda weird if someone was seen in just slacks and a tank, then we would have the Volturi on our asses, I smiled to myself at least I'd have someone to take out my spontaneous anger on, yeah I could just see it now a Felix shaped punching bag with a-

"Babe did you hear me?" Bella's voice pulled me away from my somewhat violent thoughts.

"Sorry could you repeat that" I asked, turning to her with a frown.

"I said do you need to feed, or are you hungry" Bella repeated with a smirk, as if she'd summoned it my hunger suddenly burned a hole in my stomach, a soft growl of hunger escaped my lips as my eyes latched onto her neck, I could scent the her addictive venom just below her diamond hard skin, I was sure who moved first but suddenly we both stood in the middle of the room with Bella's hands fisted in my loose hair urging me toward her exposed neck while my own were gripping her hips with enough force that had it been a vampire in my grasp they'd be in serious danger of loosing a limb, I sank my teeth into the slender column of her throat delighting in her low, drawn out moan, I greedily sucked her nourishing venom down my dry throat and into my starving body quelling most of my hunger almost instantaneously, she tasted like champagne, that was one thing I had noticed since my change her taste was always changing or maybe it was just me and my damn hormones.

"Hey! You two better not be fooling around in there cause its a long drive to school" Alice called out, I could hear the pixie walking across the hall outside our room.

"Oh hell Ali let them have some fun" Tanya purred from out in the hall.

"You're bad influence Tan"

"Yeah, thats probably why the agency never let me adopt"

"You were gonna adopt"

"Once upon a time"

"What happened"

"Had a orgy, the agency found out and then bam there goes my chances of becoming a mom"

"Well they probably didn't want the kid growing up in this kinda environment"

"Yeah thats what they said, but at least if I did get a kid then they would have great people skills" Tanya purred, I finished feeding from Bella in time to hear Alice laughing as she walked further down the hall with Tanya.

"So where are we going to school again" I asked before I pressed my forehead to Bella's shoulder.

"Umm, Denali Peak in Healy" Bella reminded.

"Long drive my ass, that little-"

"Whoa, before you verbally reduce Alice to nothing, are you going to need food or are we good to go" Bella asked in a concerned tone, it was touching and at the same time incredibly annoying.

"I'm fine" I snapped before walking out the door, I mentally kicked myself, she was just being the concerned mate and I was being a snappy bitch.

"Tanya I don't suppose this contact of yours told you how long the pregnancy was going to be" I growled at the other blonde, when I got half-way down the stairs.

"He estimated about two weeks" I nearly tripped, _two weeks, _two weeks and I was gonna be a mom with Bella, it felt like I was walking on air, finally after so long I was going to have the one thing I'd craved my entire life.

"Hey Rose you gonna stand there all day" Alice called out, I shook my head softly and walked down the remaining steps.

"So honey did you want breakfast" It sounded like Esme was miles away and shouting the question to me, I still couldn't get over it, only two weeks, fourteen days, three hundred and thirty six hours, Twenty thousand, one hundred and sixty minutesand my little angel was going to be with me and I hadn't even began shopping for clothes or the cot or anything else, oh God I'm the worse mother on Earth.

"Uh Rose whats wrong" I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"I can't do this" I was barely aware of saying.

"What school, because you don't have to go we'll just ring them and say you're gonna be home schooled." Esme said rapidly as she lead me over to the couch.

"Yeah and if the principal kicks up a fuss, I give him a lap dance and claim sexual harassment" Tanya butted in.

"Shes done that one before" Kate interjected with a smirk, I could hear Jasper growling through my haze.

"The baby is gonna hate me" the words fell out of my mouth.

"What Rose, why would the baby hate you-" Esme asked in a soft, soothing voice "-V, go and get Bella" the red head disappeared quickly.

"I haven't got anything ready for them, how could they not resent me" I whispered.

"Rose we got loads of time before the baby gets here, and if it makes you feel better we'll go shopping after school" Alice suggested.

"Count me out though, I feel like crap" Leah added, Alice disappeared from my line of sight instantly, I assumed she was by Leah.

"Hey whats the big emergency" Bella drawled coming down the stairs with Victoria close to her side.

"Rose has managed to convince herself that titch is gonna hate her" Emmett announced bluntly.

"What! where the hell did that come from" Bella exclaimed as she rushed to my side.

"We aren't ready, theres just so much to do and we have only have a few days and oh God I'm gonna get fat" I cried and buried my face in my hands, on some level I was aware of how crazy I was acting but I couldn't stop myself, I was gonna end up driving myself insane at this rate.

"Hey love, everything is gonna be okay, but I do think we should give school a miss today" Bella spoke softly but it was enough to calm my spontaneous nerves.

"No I'll be fine, and its not like the school is too far away is it?" I lifted my head and directed the rhetorical question at Alice, though the pixie was currently stroking Leah's arm and gently murmuring to her, I had to admit Leah looked really bad, she was covered in a light sheen of sweat, she was unusually pale, I tilted my head at them softly, Leah may look ill but her scent was clean, in fact her scent was enriched...jeez she was ovulating.

"Are you sure honey, theres no pressure" Esme persisted, the concern radiating off every member of my family was slowly making me feel more stable.

"Yeah like I said if I feel...weird, I'll just come home" I assured my mother with a winning smile.

"Okay guys we are officially late on our first day, so we better haul ass" Jacob stated after glancing at his rolex.

"Whos cars are we taking" Emmett drawled.

"The convertibles aren't an option, too flashy" Seth answered.

"Yeah not to mention that they are useless on this terrain" Kate added.

"All terrain SUVs it is now lets go" Tanya called over her shoulder as she made a bee-line for the door.

"Okay, but whose driving" Alice chirped as we all followed Tanya out the house and into the massive garage, Tanya had already unlocked one of the black SUVs and was tapping her finger tips against the tightly bound brown leather of the steering wheel, Jasper walked over and climbed into the passenger side while Alice and Leah climbed into the back-seat. Kate produced a set of keys from the front pocket of her jeans, and walked over to another SUV followed by Emmett, Jacob and Jane.

"Mmm who wants to drive" Seth purred, as he glanced over the silver Escalade.

"Already beaten you to the punch" Bella smirked, holding another set of keys up, I grinned at Seth's pout before walking over to the passenger side and climbing into the lush leather interior.

"Please don't tell me you still drive like you used too" I asked as Bella slipped in the drivers side and pulled the door shut with a muted thud while Seth and Alec did the same.

"I blame it on the truck" Bella defended herself as she turned the key in the ignition.

"Wasn't there a saying back in the day that a poor workman blames their tools" Seth butted in from the back seat.

"Dude you're meant to be on my side" Bella growled, as she put the car into gear and drove out of the garage behind the other two.

"How do you figure that" Seth drawled.

"Because we've lived together longer and I can tell Alec all about your not so little shenanigans" Bella smirked when Seth paled.

"Oooh do tell" I purred, I suddenly realised that thanks to all the drama that had happened over the past few weeks, none of us had really talked about ourselves.

"Bella I'm begging you, have mercy" Seth pleaded from the back, Bella grinned evilly looking at Seth in the rear-view.

"Tell you later" Bella stage whispered to me, I smirked softly, but I couldn't help but notice that Alec had remained silent through out this interaction, he must be nervous.

"Hey you okay" I turned in my chair to look at the seemingly younger boy.

"I'll be fine, but I was wondering if there was a certain way to act at school" Alec replied.

"I wouldn't suggest eating anyone" Bella spoke up.

"Yeah and if anyone pisses you off, just walk away cause if you got into a fight, well we'd have to move again" Seth pointed out.

"Ignore them Alec, you'll be with us at lunch and breaks so no one will even try talking to you, and during class you can always glare at anyone who tries to communicate." I advised.

"Yeah if you want a reputation like Rose's back in the day" Bella scoffed, I turned to glare at her even though it was pointless as her attention was firmly on the road.

"There was nothing wrong being the ice queen" I growled, getting irritated even though she was just telling it like it was.

"Hellooo everyone was scared of just talking to you because they didn't want to get the infamous glare"

"That was the idea, if they saw me as the untouchable bitch they'd leave me the hell alone"

"You know it wouldn't kill you to be social"

"No but I might kill them after I get asked out a few thousand times a day by pig headed _boys _like Mike Newton"

"He asked you out!" Bella snarled violently, oh jealousy was a hot look on her, Jaw clenched, eyes turning black, little growls falling from her full lips.

"Wait you're getting jealous of Mike Newton, the twit couldn't get a date with a horny werewolf, and they're practically uncontrollable" I retorted.

"Hey just the idea is offensive" Seth interjected from the back seat, Bella released a harsh breath and the blackness in her eyes faded until they were neon blue once again.

"Check out Bella's self-control" Seth drawled, I wasn't entirely convinced that my mate was completely calm so I reached out and placed one hand on her knee, she turned and looked at me, she nodded a little as if answering my silent question, I smiled at her before refocusing on the road ahead I kept my hand on her knee enjoying the physical connection, particularly when her hand covered my own.

"That must be it" Bella said indicating a large building off to the right, that along with the fact several teenagers were gathering around the gates and driving into the parking lot, damn I really wish we'd chosen less conspicuous cars, because three massive Escalades with black tinted windows were just doomed to draw attention.

"This is gonna be fun" I muttered, looking out the passenger window and noticing all the looks.

"Isn't it just" Bella murmured as she pulled into the parking lot following Kate and Tanya.

"Hey wheres Irina" I asked suddenly, I couldn't recall her being in the house during my little melt down.

"Haven't got a clue, but Laurent said he'd meet us here, maybe shes with him" Bella suggested as she parked the SUV next to the other two.

"Yeah he had to go shopping" Seth chuckled to himself.

"I can see Irina going shopping but, shopping with Laurent, very doubtful." I reasoned, suddenly the shrill ringing of the bell effectively ended our conversation.

"Why did we have to start school half-way through the term, honestly we draw enough attention at the start, oh and we get to be introduced to the class, God I'm looking forward to it already" I ranted as we all exited our cars together.

"You'll be fine and if anyone annoys you remember, 'happy thoughts'" Bella smirked as she grabbed my hand and pulled me in the direction of the front office.

"Yeah but don't get carried away, cause if you pounce on Bella in the middle of class we aren't going to be able to explain that" Seth butted in before wrapping his muscular arm around Alec I had to admit Alec looked _really _nervous, like if he was human he'd look green nervous, oh well its a good thing we can't throw up, oh shit, what if I get morning sickness, I shuddered softly earning me a concerned look from Bella.

"Seth instead of focusing your attention on my mates raging libido, you might want to comfort your mate he looks a little...I don't know, scared" Bella growled as we all walked into the school, it was nice enough I decided, light blue lockers covered the walls to the side of us, classroom doors were almost hidden because of them, the floor was covered in white tiles, suddenly a strong scent of stale sweat and cheap aftershave filled my nostrils, it was absolutely revolting, I actually felt my stomach churn, guess my baby has advanced senses too I thought as I lifted my hand to cover my nose, it was a shame that we were in public or I would've stopped breathing all together.

"Ah you must be the Denali's and Cullens" A middle aged, slightly over weight man appeared from around a corner, I didn't even need to scent to know he was the cause of the stench, and I wasn't the only one affected Bella was breathing from her mouth with a barely concealed wince, Leah looked even worse than she did earlier, which was pretty bad to begin with, Alice had hidden her face in the side of Leah's chest, and everyone else was trying to smile though it looked like they were in pain.

"Actually we are all Denali's" Tanya answered quickly, the middle aged man in front of us turned to look at Tanya, I could see him unashamedly checking her out and Jasper did to from the low growl coming from his chest, fortunately it was so low that the human could hear it.

"All fourteen of you" He seemed very surprised as he continued to observe us, when he got to Bella I gave serious consideration to clawing his eyes out when his lust filled my nostrils.

"We're adopted-" Tanya spoke the distaste she was feeling was clear in her voice "-Now do you have our schedules, we'd like to get to class" Tanya said in an overly sweet tone.

"Of course, come with me" The middle aged pervert turned and walked back around the corner.

"Is he the principal or what" Alice spoke so quietly that only we would hear her.

"I don't care who he is, hes a fucking pervert" Bella growled back just as quietly.

"Yeah forget the lap dance comment from earlier, I wouldn't go near this little bastard if my life depended on it" Tanya commented causing Jasper to smile slightly, jeez my brother could be just a _little_ possessive sometimes.

"Here we are" Professor paedophile announced drawing me away from my thoughts, I found myself standing in a large office with double doors off to the side, judging from the heartbeats and the scents coming from there I assumed it was a staff room, there were two red doors in front of me marked _principal _and _senior management, _huh this was going to be a lot different to Forks high school.

"Mrs Roberts, can I have the Denali schedules please" the middle aged man asked a young woman coming out of the staff room.

"Of course, Mr Prickett" I nearly laughed, '_Prickett' _the name suited him, I looked at Bella she was fighting a grin.

"Here you are sir" Mrs Roberts said handing Mr Prickett several laminated cards.

"Okay then which one of you is Alice" Oh for gods sake he wants to know our names, I waited patiently until he called my name, uch the way he said it made my skin crawl.

"Kate would you grab it for me" I asked the older vampire who was standing closer to Prickett.

"Sure Rose" the other blonde grabbed the card and handed it back to me, I smiled a thanks to my sister and ignored the glare I was getting from Prickett, he reminded me of Carlisle, well if he was shorter, balding and over weight. When he'd given us all our schedules he took us on a tour of the school, which really wasn't necessary seeing as when you've been to one school you been to them all, but we couldn't exactly tell him that we've already been to this school twice in the past two centuries, granted they had gotten it refurbished since the last time but it wasn't anything spectacular, and the tour took over two hours because Prickett just _had_ to tell us how things had changed over the years.

"Okay then we actually have a twenty minute break now and the cafeteria is just there, I hope you enjoy your stay" Prickett gave a creepy smile and held his hand out to me, _oh if there is a god please have mercy, _I really, _really_ didn't want to touch him.

"I'm sure we will" Bella said while shaking Prickett's hand, he glared at Bella and I could hear him gritting his teeth.

"Have I mentioned how much I love you" I said to my mate when Prickett had disappeared down the hall.

"Mmm you can tell me later, after I wash my hand" Bella growled and headed towards the bathrooms just down the hall, I smiled at her retreating form before looking at the rest of my family.

"Ya know if I wasn't already vegetarian, he'd be enough to make me change my diet" Tanya shuddered.

"Ain't that the truth darlin, now then should we get going" Jasper drawled while tilting his head over to the cafeteria doors, we all walked into the spacious hall, it had an almost identical layout to the one in Forks though the tables were a lot bigger, we chose a large circular table over in the corner, no point in show casing ourselves.

"Should we grab some food or just leave it until lunch" Alice asked while sitting down in between Leah and me, while the seat next to me remained empty, suddenly my stomach growled in hunger.

"Well I don't know about you but I'm hungry" I stated before heading over to the currently empty queue, damn it all looked good, I settled for an apple and a container of pasta salad.

"Thought you were supposed to be pregnant" Jacob drawled from behind me.

"Yeah come on Rose, titch needs food if hes gonna grow up and be strong like his uncles" Seth butted in.

"Ignore them Rose, though I would suggest you eat something a little more protein" Leah interjected, the she-wolf was looking a lot better than she had earlier.

"Guys lay off, this is healthy" I growled back at them.

"Yeah its healthy but it tastes like crap and like Leah said it doesn't have protein just carbohydrates" Jacob smiled.

"All right you can decide what I eat later, how about that" I retorted while paying for my food.

"We'll hold you to that" Seth smiled, before loading food onto a red rectangular tray, I smirked at them before rejoining the rest of my family and sitting next to Bella.

"Don't you start" I growled when she opened her mouth.

"Whatever you say, boss" Bella smiled.

**Esme's POV.**

"Okay this time we actually have to get up" I spoke into my red headed mate's ear, Victoria was sprawled out in the centre of our bed with me on top of her.

"Thats what you said the first five times" Victoria purred before she began stroking my naked back, it was true I had told her to go hunting just after the kids had left for school but somehow she'd managed to get me into bed, I wasn't even sure how that had happened, not that I was really complaining.

"Yeah well this time I mean it" I said in the firmest tone I could mange, which was pretty pathetic thanks to her sucking the side of my neck sending shivers down my body down to my cooling core.

"Nah uh you gotta feed than we'll play some more" I compromised before climbing off her and rolling to the side.

"Come on one more time" She pleaded following me over to the side.

"No way baby, go hunt" I resisted the urge to just turn around and get lost in her flawless body, but her health came before my needs, to get this point across to my mate I climbed out of bed and pulled my black robe on shielding my body from her eyes, I could feel my resolve crumbling when she pouted adorably.

"It will take you an hour if you leave now" I pointed out, she grumbled before slipping out from between our purple satin sheets, I closed my eyes refusing to look at her body knowing that it would be too damn tempting, when I heard the bathroom door close. I opened my eyes again and headed down stairs, it felt odd to hear the house so quiet when normally theres always someone talking animatedly with someone else, suddenly the house phone began to ring, I flashed over to it and lifted the wireless receiver up to my ear.

"Hello" I greeted.

"Hey Esme" Carmen's voice drifted over the line.

"Hey Carmen, I didn't think I'd be hearing from you for the next few weeks"

"Yeah well, we were both wondering how everyone was"

"Yeah everyone is fine, the kids started school today"

"Well technically Tanya is the oldest person in the family, but yeah you could class her as a child"

"Very true, so when are you guys coming back"

"In about five days"

"Okay see you then"

"Yep bye" Carmen said in her musical voice before the line went dead.

"Who was that" Victoria asked coming down the stirs completely clothed in a skinny jeans a sleeveless white turtle neck and and tan leather boots with her hair left to flow down to the bottom of her shoulder blades.

"Just Carmen" I replied as she came closer to me, her eyes were black with thirst.

"Go feed please" I asked for the umpteenth time tonight.

"All right, I'll be back in a few hours okay"

"Whats the worst thing that could happen" I assured her with a smile.

"Just checking" She smirked before heading for the door, I shook my head slightly before walking out into the gardens, maybe I could find something to do out there.

**Carlisle's POV.**

_How could I have been so stupid_, it suddenly it came to methey would've gone to Denali.

"Edward get down here!" I called up to my son who had refused to go into school today, not that I could blame him, he didn't need to sit through all those classes yet again and who cares if he only got Ds on his report card it was more than enough.

"What is it Carlisle" Edward asked in a bored tone, I smiled at him.

"I know where they are" I announced before walking determinedly towards the front door with Edward on my heels.

**Jane's POV.**

School is very...boring, I think I had more fun and excitement at my great aunt's funeral, but then she'd been an abusive bitch.

"So you're one of the new kids right" I turned to find a boy about fifteen asking the question, he had brown hair and wide blue eyes, I suppose he could be considered attractive in a boyish way, but he didn't even hold a candle to Jacob.

"Have you ever seen me before-" I asked slowly as if talking to a child, he shook his head in response "-Then one would assume I'm new, or at least you would if you had half a brain cell" I finished with a smirk, just then the bell went signalling lunch I grabbed my books and shoved them in my bag and slinging it over one shoulder before walking out as fast as humanly possible, I found Alec waiting out in the hall.

"Was that as depressing for you as it was for me" He asked with a warm smile.

"I don't see the point in history class" I growled as we began to make our way to the cafeteria.

"Apparently its very important that we learn about this kind of stuff"

"But we lived through all of it, hell we even caused the majority of it"

"Yes but we never really thought of the consequences for the humans did we"

"Thats because its not our job to"

"It wasn't our job to do so" Alec corrected me.

"Wasn't your job to do what" Alice asked from behind us, I turned my head to find the pixie and Leah walking down the hall hand in hand.

"Are you sure thats a good idea, what if theres homophobes in the school" Alec asked pointedly staring at their entwined fingers.

"There probably is, but we really don't care what they think" Leah drawled.

"You said it baby, now answer our question-" Alice mock glared "-Or I'll set Rose on you" Alice smirked.

"Who are you setting me on" Rosalie appeared out of nowhere, Bella was just behind her with her arms wrapped around the other blonde's waist.

"Well the twins are avoiding my question, and I figured threatening someone with you would be a great way to get them to talk" Alice explained.

"Thats a pretty serious threat Ali-cat" Bella sighed, I was expecting Rosalie to flip any second but she just grinned instead, damn those hormones were weird, one day shes angry the next shes upset and now she looks likes shes high, not that I knew much about that but I had seen a few kids smoking weed once, it had been very amusing.

"Come on, I'm hungry" Rosalie spoke simply before dragging Bella in the cafeteria.

"Yeah and we get to pick whats shes eating, this should be fun" Leah smiled before following.

"Come on guys, lets go" Alice drawled, we all walked into the cafeteria and went over to join the rest of our family at the same table we sat at earlier, I sat in between Jacob and Seth.

"So hows your day been" Jacob asked almost nervously, we hadn't really spoken since yesterday and deep down I knew I was being a brat, but what was I supposed to say:_ "gimme gimme the horny werewolf"_, it wasn't like I was a virgin, the thought nearly made me laugh after a thousand years who could be expected to remain a virgin but Jacob was freaking massive and it didn't take a genius to know he wasn't exactly going to small down _there, _now was he, and how Alec could be so calm and collected was beyond me, but at least they warned us before hand, not to say that made me feel any better.

"Jane, you feeling okay?" Jacobs voice sounded like it was very far away.

"Yes I'm perfectly fine" my voice came out squeaky, I growled low in my throat, and I found myself glaring at the table top or at least I was until several folded pieces of paper flooded the table, I looked up to find a smirking Tanya.

"Jesus Tanya, are these what I think they are" Kate exclaimed.

"The numbers and addresses of three quarters of the school's population, yep" Tanya grinned before sitting in between Jasper and Kate, Jasper's eyes had darken considerably and his entire body had tensed.

"Don't worry baby, you're still my number one, but that doesn't mean I can't look for a second" Tanya purred before leaning over and kissing Jasper's cheek she pulled away with a grin plastered to her face. After that all three shifters disappeared over to the queue and came back with trays filled with food, Seth smirked and placed one in front of Rosalie, the other blonde's jaw dropped at the sight before her.

"No way in hell, am I going to be able to finish all that" Rosalie gulped.

"You never know" Leah drawled, Rosalie breathed deeply before picking her fork up.

**Esme's POV.**

How I did this year after year is beyond comprehension I thought to myself, it was only lunch time and I was bored out of my mind, Victoria wasn't back yet and none of the kids had come home and I had to admit that I'd expected Rosalie and Leah to call it quits a couple hours into the day after all they hadn't exactly been a hundred percent this morning, I sighed yet again and walked from the kitchen back out into the gardens, there was absolutely nothing to watch on TV, the house was spotless and didn't even have so much as a speck of dust to clean it was maddening at least at Cullen manor there was always something that needed doing, _yeah thats because Carlisle treated you like a slave _an inner voice reminded me, oh jeez now I'm on the verge of starting an inner monologue, _No I do believe you've already started one, _inner voice spoke up, I laughed softly seriously I'm going insane I thought as I pushed the double doors leading out onto the patio, stepping out into the garden, I scented deeply, it was going to snow soon I could sense it, suddenly something familiar caught my attention, at first I thought it was Victoria returning or at least I did until another scent caught my attention it was very close to the first, _oh shit_ there was no one else it could be, Eleazar and Carmen were in the Caribbean, Laurent had already phoned to say he was heading into school and Irina had disappeared without a word, which meant that-

"Hello Esme" I whirled around to find Edward standing behind me with a smug smirk on his face, what should I do, I knew I couldn't out run him and I detested fighting unless it was strictly necessary, abruptly Carlisle's scent flooded my nostrils, he was very close.

"Hello Edward" I tried to keep things civil, maybe I could talk my way out of this, though I don't Edward could see past his ego to see anything else, all I had to do was distract him long enough to either attack or flee.

"You know, coming here wasn't a very good move, you were expected to stay in Forks until we got back" Edward spoke like he was trying to explain something to a toddler and it really made me want to hit him, fuck trying to be civil.

"Why would we do that Edward" I sneered.

"Because _you _belong to _me _and from now on you will act as such" Carlisle's voice sounded from behind me.

"You really can't take a hint can you, I don't love you any more in fact I find myself wondering if what I felt for you was ever more than infatuation because what I feel for Victoria is a lot stronger than what I ever felt for you" I growled and turned to face Carlisle.

"You spiteful little bitch, I gave you everything and just because of this red headed little slut you want to throw it all away, well I won't let you, you're coming back with me whether you want to or not" He looked over my shoulder after he'd finished his little speech, sensing a shift behind me, I twisted to the side before Edward could get his hands on me, I didn't bother to see what their next move was I just took off running as fast as I could dodging trees and startling animals as I went, unfortunately it wasn't long before I heard Carlisle and Edward just behind me and they were getting closer and closer with each second, all of a sudden it dawned on me I wasn't going to be able to get away.

**Victoria's POV.**

Running back through the forest after my hunt was so captivating, after hunting my senses were always heightened, my sense of smell, hearing, my physical strength and speed and my favourite, my eyesight everything was so vivid, it was like having a portrait restored, the greens and browns in the forest were so beautiful I couldn't wait to see Esme's flawless face with my momentarily improved eyesight. A loud scream sounded off to my left, I stopped running instantaneously, I knew that scream though whenever I heard it, it had always had the undertone of pleasure this time all I could sense was fear, a loud animalistic snarl broke free from my chest before I bolted in the direction of Esme's scream, within seconds I found my mate being pinned to the ground by her shit head ex-husband, I leapt over to them and grabbed Carlisle by his expensive silk shirt and promptly tossed him into a tree, I heard a loud crashing sound as the tree gave way under the force of Carlisle's body hitting it, after making sure he didn't immediately get back up I knelt beside Esme trying to ignore her ripped clothes, a feral snarl broke free of my throat when I saw her pants wrapped around her ankles along with her underwear, oh fuck the world could not be that cruel, I raised my shaking hand up to stroke her forehead lovingly, her eyes were clamped shut and she was sobbing softly, I wanted to scream with the rage I could feel burning in the pit of my stomach threatening to consume my consciousness.

"She enjoyed it you know" A cocky voice drifted over to me, looking up from my mate's angelic face, I found Carlisle sauntering towards me, buckling his belt.

"You're dead" Were the last coherent words that left my mouth before I gave into the rage and pain bubbling inside me.

**Bella's POV.**

We had just parked the SUVs in the garage when I heard an animalistic roar in the distance, at first I thought it was a bear until heard it again it was a sound of pure agony and rage.

"Did you hear that" I asked Rosalie, my mate nodded.

"Go into the house and check if Victoria and Esme are there will you" I asked, Rosalie disappeared instantly, while she was gone there was another roar followed by a shriek of pain, in that instant Rosalie came back the look on her face told me everything I needed to know.

"You stay here, Tanya, Kate come with me" I called over my shoulder before running out into the surrounding forest with Tanya and Kate struggling to keep up with me, I scented the area and listened carefully I could hear deadly growls and snarls, strangled sobs and whimpers of fear and pain, I ran even faster towards the sobbing when I got there I found Esme on the ground clothes shredded and her pants around her ankles and Carlisle's scent tainting her natural scent.

"Oh that fucking shit for brains mother fucker" I snarled and rushed over to Esme's side, the petite vampire's eyes were clenched shut, if Victoria hadn't already killed him I was going to enjoy torturing him, I could feel my eyes turning black.

"We'll take her back to the house you find Victoria" Tanya whispered from behind me, I turned to find the older vampire's eyes had turned black and they were shining they same could be said for Esme, I nodded before rising from Esme's side and running towards where I could hear lingering screams of agony, snarls started falling from my chest as the Fae inside me clawed its way to the surface and this time I happily let it out.

**Alice's POV.**

"I can smell Carlisle and Edward" Rosalie spoke as we entered the house, everything was how we left it this morning, nothing was out of place not even by a fraction of an inch and I could hear anyone moving about besides us making me fairly confident that if Carlisle and Edward had been here they weren't now.

"Did you hear those screams, man they didn't sound remotely human" Emmett spoke up.

"Yeah lets just hope that everyone is okay" Leah said quietly before wrapping her arms around herself, we all fell into silence as we waited and waited until the front door burst open.

"What happened" I asked when Kate appeared with Esme in her arms, Kate just shook her head and carried my mother upstairs, while Tanya came through the door she closed it behind her and turned to face us, sorrow etched in her face, we all looked at her expectantly.

"Esme...Carlisle, he..." Tanya sighed harshly, an aggressive snarl came from Rosalie.

"His scent was all over her" Rosalie forced out from between clenched teeth, she was shaking softly and her eyes were practically casting a dark light over the room, Tanya looked carefully at each and everyone of us.

"He...ah-" Tanya cleared her throat and lowered her eyes "He raped her" Tanya finally whispered, a chorus of animalistic snarls broke free of our throats, as screams drifted into the house form the forest.

**TBC. . .**

**AN: Not what you expected, well I didn't actually plan on letting that happen it just sorta did, but on the bright side at least Carlisle is kinda dead though Edward is still around, yeah such a joy isn't it, next chapter remains kinda angsty and it will be up in five days maybe six, til then. **


	19. Chapter 19

Title: Coming Home.

Pairings: Bella/Rosalie, Leah/Alice, Esme/Victoria.

Rating: M

Disclaimer: Nothing is mine, it all belongs to Stephanie Meyer.

Summary: The Cullens left in New Moon, Victoria changed Bella, together along with Jacob, Seth, and Leah they've lived in Forks for over a century. What happens when the Cullens come back.

**AN: As always let me start by saying thanks for the reviews, right to avoid any confusion in the start of this chapter its basically Victoria has gone feral, meaning shes pretty much all animal right now, you also get a glimpse of Bella and Rosalie's powers, right then in this chapter you get the all important details as to how Bella and Victoria killed Carlisle, Bella and Rosalie discover their Fae powers, Alice gets a surprise, Aro sends guards to help Fuckward and you find out where Irina got to.**

**Chapter nineteen, no one's POV.**

_The red headed vampiress stared down at her prey, relishing the scent of helpless fear coming off of him as she stalked forward her body was tensed ready to pounce if he tried to flee yet again, she snarled at the thought, this spineless ingrate had hurt her mate, and she'd make him pay slowly and painfully, she thought with a sadistic smirk. A high pitched whimpering sound caught her attention, she lifted her head just as he scrambled to his feet and tried to run, she let him run a little before following she enjoyed giving him the impression he was going to get away, just to stop him before he got a few feet away, she growled low in her throat and pounced, leaping across the several feet of distance he'd managed to put in between them, she tackled him to the ground, grabbing his shoulder and flipping him over she drove her fist directly into his face over and over again, enjoying the crushing sounds as his features became unrecognisable, his nose was completely flat, his eye cheeks bones had given way leaving indentations and his jaw was noticeably shattered, soft gurgling sounds were coming out of his mouth. She pulled away and stood up looking down at his cowering form, suddenly he gripped her ankle._

"_Please...let me go...I'll...Never come back...I swear" He coughed out, she snarled and jerked her foot away from him, his hand fell to the ground, she smirked before raising her boot and slammed it down on his wrist twisting the heel, she smiled when he screamed as his bones broke easily under the pressure she was exerting._

"_Hurt...my...mate" The vampiress snarled, before bringing her foot up and driving it into the crook of his elbow, closing her eyes as his shriek echoed in her ears._

"_I didn't mean to" He cried, his eyes were shining brightly._

"_Lie" She managed to growl, the ability to form words was quickly depleting in the face of her anger. Suddenly she felt a imposing presence behind her, she turned with a threatening growl the low rumbling caught in her throat when she saw the figure, long red-black hair framed a pale face and soulless black eyes observed the scene before her, the vampiress was struck by the knowledge that this was a superior predator to herself, but that didn't matter to her, all that mattered to her was getting justice for her mate, she hissed at the other huntress, the other female bared her teeth in a rumbling snarl that shook the entire ground and trees, the vampiress ignored her initial fear of the other huntress and took an aggressive step forward, the other female tilted her head at the vampire's quivering prey a silent question, the red head nodded slightly and returned her attention on her prey, the other predator slowly advanced on her prey, the so-called-man began sobbing uncontrollably, his begging and his promises filled the silence of the forest._

_xxxxXxxxx_

_The Fae looked at her new found prey, feeling nothing but disgust for it, she couldn't wait to tear him apart but not before she made him scream apologies for hurting her mother, she felt a slight burning sensation along her forearms, she looked down to find her forearms glowing a pure light blue, she tilted her head and brought one of her arms up to view it closely, all of a sudden sapphire blue flames enveloped her lower arms, she recoiled softly her arms felt very cold, like they were surrounded by ice, but other than that the flames caused her no harm or discomfort, she grinned at her prey seeing his eyes widen right before he began scrambling backwards, she sauntered forward and grabbed him before hauling him upright, when she bared her teeth at him again, she could feel her upper and lower canines elongating into two inch fangs, causing her prey give his loudest scream of fear that night, but she was confident that it wouldn't be his last._

**Alice's POV.**

I winced when a high pitched scream flooded the family room yet again, I looked around at the merciless faces of my family, they all looked ready to march out into the forest to get a piece of Carlisle for themselves, I was as well, but I couldn't help but wonder how Esme was doing, I really wanted to go upstairs and comfort her, but I wouldn't know how to act or what to say.

"What do you think they're doing to him" Seth asked quietly, breaking our silence.

"I hope they're castrating him with a dull knife" Rosalie growled, while pacing the length of the room so swiftly it was like she was a blur.

"I'd say I hope they were skinning him alive but I'm not sure its possible" Emmett snarled aggressively, abruptly Kate entered the room with a sombre expression.

"How is she doing" I asked softly, Kate crawled into Emmett's lap, my brother wrapped his massive arms around his mate with Kate's arms wrapped around his broad shoulders with her head tucked under his chin.

"Shes...broken, I don't know how else to explain it, but Tanya is with her now, but shes not saying a thing." Kate said softly her eyes shining brightly.

"Maybe Ishould go up" Rosalie pondered aloud the aggregation leaked from her voice while she looked in the direction of the stairs.

"Maybe" I agreed softly, after all if anyone could help Esme now other than Victoria it was Rose, my sister nodded a few times collecting herself, before leaving the room, I could feel the tension coming off her in waves a she passed me, after Rose had left we all lapsed into silence, none of us knew what to say or how to act.

"I'll be back in a minute" Leah whispered softly to me before getting up from the couch and leaving the room, I watched her as she went, still feeling concerned as to what had caused Leah's sudden bout of illness this morning, jeez when I had woken Leah up this morning I hadn't expected anything like this to happen. Twenty minutes went by without a single word passing between us, there had been no more screams from the outside, Rose was still upstairs though Tanya had come back down and snuggled into Jasper's side and Leah was still gone, I missed her even though I knew she hadn't gone far.

"I'll be back" I said gently to Jasper, he nodded softly I could see him trying to hide his wince, I could only imagine the pain he was feeling thanks to being bombarded with our emotions. I jogged up the stairs at a human pace trying to stay quiet, I tip-toed past Esme and Victoria's room went around a corner and slipped into mine and Leah's room, the lights were off casting the spacious room into darkness, though thanks to my enhanced eyesight I could see everything in perfect clarity, a slight breeze from over to the side told me that the large window was open, making the curtain dance into the darkness.

"Leah?" I called out coming further into the room, when there was no answer, I closed my eyes and left my other senses take over, I finally heard my mates heartbeat coming from the closed bathroom. I walked over and knocked on the door, giving her a moment to compose herself, I heard her clearing her throat and I couldn't help but wonder if she was crying, after all Esme was like a mother to all of us.

"Yeah?" I winced at the hoarseness in her voice.

"You okay babe" I asked gently, trying to ignore the fact I was talking to a closed door, there was a soft sound of distress on the other side before I knew it my hand was on the door knob forcing the door open and snapping the lock like it was made out of plastic and sending I found Leahleaning against the sink, her eyes were shining and she was breathing heavily and her body was being racked with shudders, her scent filled my nostrils and I felt a wave of dizziness come over me when as her pheromones began to caress my senses, I couldn't stop the growl that left my throat when my animalistic side came to life, screaming what I had already suspected, Leah had gone into heat.

**Bella's POV.**

A soft groan broke free of my mouth when I came back to myself, everything hurt I meant everything, it felt like my body had been kicked by a horse fallen of a ravine and landed on an unforgiving pile of sharp rocks. I forced myself to open my eyes, which resulted in a sharp shooting pain in my head, it felt like a migraine I winced and looked around trying to figure out where I was, the last thing I remember was running through the forest in the direction of several blood curling screams.

"_No please...don't" _I heard the desperate words in my head I knew it was Carlisle's voice. I could recall seeing flames, blue flames, and the feeling of invincibility.

"Victoria?" I tried to whisper, remembering the red head, but nothing left my dry mouth, I lifted my head only to find that I was sprawled out on the forest floor, I dropped my head back down, hissing at the jarring pain the action caused, I closed my eyes again and relied upon my hearing to tell me where my maker was, I could hear the rustling animals moving through the forest, the occasional hiker and finally, someone moving at inhuman speed heading south, growls and snarls were coming from her, something inside me just knew it was Victoria. I tried to get up but my body refused to obey me, I hissed in frustration, I needed to get Victoria before she did something she'd regret, _or reveals the existence of our world,_ an inner voice spoke up, I tried to move again but I only succeeded in shifting slightly and even that caused a wave of searing agony to consume me, hunger began to rage in my stomach, _shit I need Rosalie._

**Rosalie's POV.**

Helplessness isn't something I thought I'd ever feel again, but looking at Esme's huddled form in the centre of her bed, helplessness didn't even come close to what I was feeling, god if I had just stayed home today none of this would have happened, Esme would be downstairs laughing and joking around with Victoria while she cooked for the shifters, instead she was curled into a ball with dry sobs shaking her body, I was leaning my back against the door, deciding whether or not I should suggest she shower, I knew just how dirty she felt right now, she would be relieving the experience over and over again and having Carlisle's scent covering her would only make things worse.

"Esme?" I spoke her name softly as I slowly came closer to her, she flinched when I sat down on the edge of the bed, I didn't touch her just in case it upset her, I knew after my...ordeal, I didn't like to be touched in fact it had taken me years to let someone touch me for more than a second and that someone had been Esme.

"Esme, do you need anything" I asked softly, already knowing the answer.

"Victoria-" I stood up ready to go and find the red head, her and Bella should have been back by now "-I don't want her to see me-" I froze with my hand on the door knob, convinced I had misheard her "-Not after this" Esme finished, I couldn't believe what I just heard.

"Okay" I said gently and slipped from the room, she'll come round I reasoned with myself, once she saw Victoria.

"_Shit, I need Rosalie" _I stiffened when I heard Bella's voice, surely I was just imagining things, I pulled the door open and gently pulled it closed after me, I walked down the hall until I came to the stairs, suddenly a blast of icy energy raced from my stomach to my head, I grasped the wall beside me with one hand and the other covered my flat abdomen protectively, I leaned my shoulder against the wall as a scream filled my head, I winced involuntarily as very part of my body began to burn. I fell to my knees as a metallic ringing sound echoed in my head, everything was becoming blurred and I felt like I was being torn apart, then nothing.

**Emmett's POV. **

"Hey did you hear that" I said to no one in particular, as a loud ringing sound filled my head, I looked at Kate, my mate slowly nodded with a frown.

"Lets check it out" Tanya said cautiously moving towards the disturbance with me and Kate on her heels, we slowly went up the stairs and rounded a corner.

"What the hell is that" Tanya asked in a distracted tone, I came over to stand beside her, there were scorch marks covering the wall and carpet.

"Check on Esme and Rose will you?" Tanya asked Kate, my mate walked down the hall and pushed open the first door on the left, she slipped into the room and closed the door behind her, I turned back to the scorch marks finally noticing that there was a hand print on the wall.

"Rose isn't in there" Kate said reappearing, I frowned, maybe shes was with Alice and Leah, without saying a thing I walked further down the hall past Kate as my mate hurried to join her sister, when I got outside their room all I could scent was the heady scent of arousal, I quickly backed away from the door, there was no way I was repeating the whole walking in on someone having sex thing again, no way.

"Shes not with Alice and Leah" I said rejoining Tanya and Kate.

"Then where the hell is she?-" Tanya snarled "- Okay all of us are going to search the forest, Kate you stay with Esme" Tanya said rapidly before hurrying down stairs, I turned to my mate, absolutely hating the idea of leaving her, even for a second, I reached out and cupped the side of her face.

"Be safe" she whispered gently leaning into my touch and wrapping her hand around my wrist holding me close.

"Always" I smiled gently before leaning down and pressing my lips to hers in a chaste kiss, I pulled away reluctantly, before turning and walking away from her.

**Caius's POV.**

This was becoming very annoying, every time Aro made up his mind to sent the guards out he changed his mind.

"My lords?" Demetri's voice flooded the silent hall.

"What is it, Demetri" Aro asked in his overly welcoming tone, quite frankly I found it rather creepy.

"Edward Cullen was just on the phone" Demetri said hesitantly.

"And?" I asked pouring every ounce of my annoyance into my voice, it had the desired affect causing Demetri to flinch.

"Its Carlisle...hes...well, dead" I hid my smirk behind my hand, finally the Fae has killed the arrogant bastard, though I couldn't help but wonder what had provoked her into doing so, when I had met her I didn't get the impression that she was the type to go looking for a fight unless her family was put in danger, I was going to have to phone them when I got the chance.

"WHAT!" Aro shouted standing up from his throne and stalking toward Demetri, muttering obscenities under his breath.

"Than you for informing us Demetri you may leave" Marcus dismissed the younger vampire.

"How is this possible he lead me to believe that everything was under control" Aro ranted to himself.

"Well he wasn't going to say things are in a state of complete disarray was he brother?" Marcus drawled absently, Aro whirled around to face us.

"Something amuses you Caius" Aro snarled, I couldn't restrain the grin that crossed my face, earning me a dark look from my brother, I cleared my throat but I couldn't stop smiling.

"I was merely wondering _how _Carlisle was killed" I explained.

"How is that amusing my oldest friend has just been murdered and you insult him"

"I hate to point this out but your friend probably deserved what he got"

"Why you little-"

"Thats enough-" Marcus interrupted "-Now Aro what are we going to do now?" He asked.

"There will be no more delays, I'm sending the guards to assist Edward" Aro growled, _at last _I thought rolling my eyes, now all I had to do was get on the phone.

"Are you sure thats a good idea, the Fae could easily kill them without blinking twice" I asked feinting concern, after all a few years ago I would be pitching a fit over the whole thing, right now I just couldn't wait for it to be over.

"Thats why I'm not going, guards are expendable" Aro sneered, and here I thought he wasn't going because he was a chicken shit, I smirked to myself.

"I wouldn't let them hear you say that" Marcus drawled.

"Oh what are they going to do, once I have the Fae I will be unstoppable"

"You mean _we _will be unstoppable" I corrected, if he was human Aro would be blushing at being caught out.

"Of course, thats what I meant" Aro answered me hesitantly, before striding from the throne room.

"He is so up himself" I commented to Marcus when the door had closed.

"Indeed" Marcus agreed in his every present impassive tone, sometimes it was almost maddening, the way he could distance himself from things it was a trait he'd had since we were children.

"I'm going to phone the Denali's" I said after a while, I could see him nod his head in the corner of my eye, before standing up and walking out the room, out in the hall I walked straight ahead until I came to a little reception area.

"Good evening Gianna" I greeted the woman sat at the desk in the centre of the reception area.

"Good evening, my lord how can I help you" The brunette woman asked me in a respectful tone.

"Do you mind giving me a minute alone" I asked tilting my head towards the phone on her desk.

"Certainly, I'll just..." She trailed off and got up from the desk and disappearing down the hall, I waited until she was gone until I turned the phone around and picked the receiver up, I was really going to but a cell phone it would be safer than using this one where anyone could over hear me.

"Hello, Emmett?" Kate's voice come over the other line once I had dialled the number.

"No Kate its Caius-" I answered hearing her sigh on the other line "-Whats wrong" I asked when she went silent.

"What hasn't gone wrong, Irina has gone AWOL, Victoria and Bella have gone nuts, Rosalie has disappeared into thin air and Esme..." She trailed off suddenly, well no need to ask what happened to Carlisle.

"Listen I only have a minute, I was just calling to tell you that Aro is sending in some of the guards, so you should all be careful" I said quietly

"Thanks Caius I appreciate it" Her tone was filled with sorrow which made me wonder what she wasn't telling me, but I wasn't going to ask, after all I knew Kate more than the others didn't trust me yet and it was understandable after all the stuff I had done over the years.

"Well I'd better go" I said lamely.

"Yeah I should get back to Esme" I frowned softly, but then the line went dead, I replaced the receiver and walked back down the hall towards the throne room, passing Gianna as I went.

"So what did they say" Marcus asked when I pushed the door closed behind me.

"Nothing much, I got the impression that something had happened, but Kate didn't say anything" I answered sitting back down on my throne.

"It could be nothing" Marcus drawled.

"Or it could be something really bad" I countered leaning forwards on my throne placing my arms on my Armani covered knees.

"We'll find out soon enough"

"How do you mean"

"I was going to suggest we visit them, you said they had some questions for me"

"Perhaps we should wait"

"Maybe, but we don't have a lot of time, before Aro finds out everything"

"You're right, I'll phone them again later" I conceded.

**Rosalie's POV.**

Oh son of a bitch it feels like I've been through the grinder, I groaned softly and opened my eyes, all I could see were flames that had a blue tint, I pulled myself up of the ground and looked around, I was in the forest, that I was sure of but how had I gotten here, on minute I was in the hallway back at the mansion and now I was in the frigging forest, a low growling sound caught my attention, turning I found...Bella?, I stood up and stumbled over to my mate, she wasn't moving or breathing and her eyes were closed.

"Bella?" I asked softly, stroking her forehead, her eyes flew open, they were a dark purple which I had never seen on either of us before, she opened her mouth but she didn't say anything, I lifted my wrist and pressed it against her lips, silently encouraging her to feed, when her mouth opened I swear I could see a flash of fangs, but no, it wasn't possible vampires didn't have fangs, _you're not a vampire any more, _my inner voice reminded me, suddenly I felt Bella sink her teeth into my wrist, for the first time it hurt a little which had never happened before, but then the slight sting turned into pleasure as she began sucking my venom into her, I licked my suddenly dry lips and tried to ignore my hormones as they started pulsing inside me. Bella pulled away from my wrist and looked up at me with her now shining neon blue eyes, they were absolutely gorgeous I found myself thinking.

"We have to find Victoria" Bella whispered weakly.

"What happened?" I asked as she sat up right rubbing the back of her neck.

"I took my time, first I tore out his tongue, then I gouged his eyes out, after that I moved onto his finger and toe nails, then Victoria broke every bone in his body when he was screaming apologies I ripped his legs off, I let Victoria do the rest and she relished it, she'd tear half a limb off and then more on to another only to go back to the first oh and did I mention she castrated him after that we burnt him, with this-" she raised her hand, her entire forearm was suddenly enveloped in blue flames, I recoiled softly "-Relax I won't let it hurt you-" She assured me before the flames extinguished seemingly on their own "-After that...I don't knowguess I passed out" She finished finally looking me in the eye.

"We should go home" I said after a while, she nodded before placing her hands flat on the ground and heaving herself into a crouch then she stood up offering her hand out to me, I took it and she pulled me onto my feet, together hand in hand we started in the direction of home.

"Wait-" She pulled me to a stop "-What about Victoria"

"She'll come back when shes ready" I said softly pulling her forward a little.

"I can't just leave her"

"Bella she'll be fine" Her jaw clenched, before she nodded and followed me home.

"Hows Esme" She asked after a while, her voice was filled with concern.

"Shes..." I trailed off as guilt consumed me once again, I could have prevented all of this if I had just stayed home I just knew it.

"Bella?, Rose? Are you guys out here!" I looked up when I heard Emmett's deep voice thundering through the forest.

"We're right here Emmett!" Bella yelled back, our brother was standing before us in a second, I grunted when he pulled us both against his chest in a massive bear hug.

"Don't ever do that again you nearly gave me a heart attack-" Emmett growled "-Are you two okay" He asked, as if in answer I suddenly felt like my bladder was going to burst, oh for gods sake these changes were getting inconvenient to say the least.

"Not really, you're pushing the baby into my bladder and I kinda think I need to pee" I grumbled into his chest, I breathed a sigh of relief when he let us go with a sheepish smile on his face.

"Come on lets go home" Bella said softly before grabbing my hand and dragging me forwards.

"Yeah come on Em" I grabbed the front of Emmett's shirt as I passed him forcing me to follow.

**Esme's POV.**

I've have never felt so dirty in my entire life, I was sitting on the floor in the shower my knees drawn up to my chest as hot water cascaded down my tainted body, the water wasn't doing any good, all I could feel was _his _hands on me, I swallowed hard and closed my eyes trying to shut out the memories.

"Esme honey, you okay" I heard Kate call out to me from the bedroom, I chose to ignore her I didn't want any one to look at me, or be any where near me, especially Victoria. God how was I ever going to look at her again knowing that someone other than her had touched me, I leaned my head back against the wall, all I wanted to do was bury myself in a ditch, no right now I didn't even want to exist.

"Its okay Kate I got this" I heard Bella's voice out in the bedroom.

"Esme, I just wanted you to know that...Victoria is gone" Bella called out to me I winced at the news, as much as I didn't want her to see me like this a part of me wanted its mate. I stood up slowly my muscles screaming in protest, I reached up and shut of the water, I opened the shower door and stepped out, I grabbed a towel and wrapped it around myself, before placing my hand on the doorknob, I took a deep breath and pulled the door open, Bella was standing two feet in front of me and Rosalie was sitting on the bed with Emmett whispering animatedly to her, all I could hear were the words "Scorch" and "Disappear".

"We think Victoria will come back in time but...do you want me to go get her" Bella asked, I forced myself to look into her eyes and cleared my throat several times.

"I need her" I admitted in a hoarse voice, Bella nodded before walking over to Rosalie they two shared a sweet kiss Bella placed her hand on Rosalie's lower abdomen, before walking out the room.

"Do you want us to stay with you" Rosalie asked with a worried look.

"I, er need some time alone"

"Are you sure thats a-" Emmett grunted in pain when Rosalie elbowed him in the ribs.

"I'll be in my room if you need me" Rosalie said over her shoulder as she all but pushed Emmett out the door "-And I think you should know that, they got that asshole-" I sighed at the knowledge my rapist was dead.

"Thanks Rose"

"Night Mom"

"Night baby"

_xxxxXxxxx_

_The vampiress looked down at the humans she'd just killed some part of her knew what she'd done was wrong but right now the more dominate part of her was demanding that she find another unwitting human to take out her rage on._

"_Hello Victoria" she turned around to find a tall vampire smirking at her and he wasn't alone, there was another slighter shorter man, two woman and hiding behind them was a bronze haired boy that the red headed vampire had the sudden urge to kill, she snarled and took an aggressive step forward._

"_Whats wrong with her eyes" one of the woman asked._

"_Shes in the__ '__ira sanguinem'__"_

"_-Running on pure animal instinct"_

"_-She'll be stronger than us"_

"_-But she'll be easily out-witted"_

_The vampire snarled again and lunged at the bronze haired vampire, he squealed and ran away, she snarled again as she landed in a crouch._

"_Renata do it now" Suddenly the red head vampire couldn't move, she growled in frustration eager to begin her hunt._

"_Knock her out Felix, she can join the other Denali bitch" the largest vampire appeared before her, his fist connected with the side of her head, she hissed weakly before darkness consumed her. _

**TBC. . .**

**AN: Lemme apologise for the short-ish chapter the next one will be longer, well at least I think it will be. So did Carlisle get the ending he deserved or were you expecting something a little more painful, and what did you think of Bella's power, the next chapter will be up in about six days maybe more cause real life is getting in the way of things. Til next time guys. **

**Translation.**

**'Ira sanguinem' - 'blood rage'**


	20. Chapter 20

Title: Coming Home.

Pairings: Bella/Rosalie, Leah/Alice, Esme/Victoria.

Rating: M

Disclaimer: Nothing is mine, it all belongs to Stephanie Meyer.

Summary: The Cullens left in New Moon, Victoria changed Bella, together along with Jacob, Seth, and Leah they've lived in Forks for over a century. What happens when the Cullens come back.

**AN: I'm really _really _sorry about the wait, long story short my boss is an asshole. Now then I wanna say thanks for the reviews(as always), they mean a lot. Right in this chapter, Rose starts showing only she gets really emotional cause Bella isn't there, you get Irina's POV, Seth and Alec finally do the nasty, and Victoria's is pining for Esme.**

**CheshireMonkey, unfortunately I'm not that creative, 'Ira Sanguinem' means blood rage in Latin.**

**Zelda's Hero,**** Don't worry when Bella gets back from her search and rescue, there will be plenty of R/B lemons, I promise =D.**

**Mrs. AubreeCullen,**** Ageil play?, (eyes widen in excitement) Oooh now thats the incentive I needed**.** As soon as I finish my current C/D fic, I'll get to work on my next one.**

**Kokuo sakurazawa,**** you have an excellent ****point, I guess vampires can't be imprisoned but I have an idea about that, I just hope it works. Broken Esme, I know I wish I could just write that the moment she sees Victoria shes instantly fine again, but that wouldn't be believable, (Sighs sadly) bare with me?.**

**Pretty much everyone**** more pain?, Mmm guess I'll have to put some thought into how I'm gonna kill Eddie off, thats gonna be fun ;)**

**Now then, without further ado on with the update.**

**Chapter Twenty, Rosalie's POV.**

I could hear birds tweeting just outside my window, or wherever they hell they were, they were so god damn annoying that getting out of my nice warm comfortable bed and stalking the little shits sounded like a good idea, or it did until I turned my head slightly and found Bella's freesia scent lingering to the pillows, suddenly all I wanted to do was break down and cry, I hated being away from Bella it felt like a large part of me was missing.

"Hey Rose you awake in there?" A female voice drifted in my bedroom from the outer room, my eyes flung open at first I thought it was Esme, but when I listen more carefully, it sounded more like Alice, the way their foot was tapping against the floor rapidly, a glance at the digital clock on my bedside table told me it was only 4:30 in the morning on a Tuesday, ugh I was exhausted but at least there was no way on God's green Earth I was going to school today, until Victoria was back I was gonna be beside Esme all day and as long as I could stay awake for at night after that Alice could take over.

"Yeah come in" I called out rolling over onto my back and sitting up to lean against my pillows, I was struck by a light fluttering in my lower stomach, I looked down and smiled in pure wonderment as I felt my child moving within me, I hardly noticed the way my stomach was protruding outwards and my breasts were overly sensitive and slightly larger than normal, even though it was only a few days since we found out I was pregnant, I could have been four or five months pregnant, its a good thing these changes aren't freaking me out any more, or I'd probably either be screaming in shock or passing out.

"Hey...holy crap, when did that happen?" Alice whispered loudly, glancing at my stomach with a shocked look, I smiled widely before placing my hand on my, now, rounded stomach, closing my eyes when I felt my baby start kicking against my hand.

"Over night" I answered feeling Alice settle her weight on the side of my bed next to me.

"Just like everything else" I opened my eyes to find the pixie smiling slightly and and looking at my stomach.

"You wanna feel?" I asked my sister, as her gaze remained on my abdomen, she looked up at me sharply clearly expecting me to growl and go all territorial on her, and I had to admit there was a presence in the back of my mind, tensed and ready to protect my young if needs be, but I had to remind myself that this was my sister, my family, I could trust her completely.

"You sure?" Alice said her voice was a little high-pitched, I held my left hand out to her and kept my right resting on my abdomen, when she placed her hand in mine I pulled her over to me and placed it just over the repetitive twitch that my little one was causing, I laughed slightly when her eyes went as wide as saucers, I only wished Bella were here to feel this for the first time instead of Alice as much as I loved her.

"Wow thats...thats...indescribable" Alice chuckled to herself, I grinned when my baby started kicking even harder against Alice's hand.

"So what did you want?" I asked after a the fluttering in my stomach had faded, Alice pulled her hand away from my stomach, and pursed her lips.

"Are you gonna stay home today?" Alice asked finally.

"Yeah theres just no way I'm leaving her-" I shook my head at the thought before looking closely at my sister with a smirk "-What about you, I mean you guys were at it for hours" Alice grinned cockily.

"Yeah and we only just stopped, and I don't think school is such a good idea, cause the last thing Leah said before she passed out, is 'I'm gonna need you again when I wake up'"

"Mmm you're lucky"

"Don't I know it-" Alice sighed, suddenly her expression became sombre "-Do you think Victoria and Bella are okay" my breath caught in my throat as images of Bella laying broken on the ground somewhere where I couldn't reach her flashed before my eyes, I couldn't stop the panicked whimpers leaving my throat, I needed to hear Bella's voice suddenly it became the most important thing in the world, I leaned over and grabbed my cell off the bed side table, fearing for my mate. _You're overreacting _I thought to myself, as I pressed one on my speed dial.

"Rose you okay?" Alice asked, I ignored her as my phone began ringing, oh god did she even take her phone, fuck when she got back I was gonna kick her ass for leaving me long enough for me to miss her. _Its only been a few hours, _I tired to reason with myself.

"Whats up baby?" Bella's hypnotic voice suddenly filled my ear, I could feel tears of relief collect in my eyes, I took a deep breath, until-

"'Baby', who the hell were you expecting, you unfaithful..."

"Rose honey, calm down. I knew it was you."

"Thats a fucking unlikely story, who-"

"Rose!, two words 'caller ID'-" I opened my mouth and quickly closed it when I remembered what caller ID was, "-Okay baby whats wrong" She asked gently.

"Whats wrong, whats wrong is our baby is kicking the crap out of me and you're not here to feel it" I cried, tears were actually leaking from my eyes, the silence that followed my words made me cry even harder.

"I'm just gonna..." Alice trailed off and made her way over to the door.

"Don't you fucking move-" I growled at her, feeling anger simmer inside me, before a wave of sadness over came me "-I don't want to be alone" I sobbed, Alice was across the room in a heartbeat taking my hand in hers as sobs shook my body, I was suddenly aware of a comforting purring in my ears.

"I wish I was there" Bella whispered, I tightened my hold on Alice's hand.

"When are you coming back?" I asked my mate, all I could hear over the line was purring, it was soothing my erratic nerves faster than any tonic would.

"I tracked Victoria's scent down to Louisiana, but it keeps moving, its like one minute her scent is to the East and the next is going West, then South and its driving me insane." my tears stopped flowing when she described this and my misery was replaced by confusion.

"I've never heard of someone being able to do that, maybe shes just moving around really fast, trying to mess with you."

"Faster than me?" I could almost see her with her eyebrow arched and her lush lips tilted in a sarcastic smirk.

"Yeah you're right thats a stupid idea" I looked to Alice, the pixie shrugged before her eyes went wide obviously trying to find a vision of the Victoria's moves, she should be able to find something it wasn't like there was any shifters to block out the visions.

"Whos with you?" Bella suddenly asked I could hear the faint aggression in her voice making me smile at her possessiveness.

"Its just Alice" I replied in my lightest tone, it didn't stop the soft growl coming over the other line but at least Bella wasn't completely flipping out on the other end.

"Fine, hows Esme" Bella asked the annoyance in her voice disappeared when Esme's name left her throat.

"She wanted to be on her own" I whispered softly, I could remember that stage, I couldn't bare to be around anyone no matter how much I tried I just felt tainted in every way possible, but Esme helped me through it, so I was gonna do the same thing for her.

"Well I guess-"

"I FOUND IT!" Alice suddenly erupted making me flinch at how loud she was, damn heightened senses.

"WOULD YOU KEEP IT DOWN, JACOB IS TRYING TO SLEEP" Jane's voice suddenly filled the house at the same time there were several sniggers and an muffled male groan that I assumed belonged to either Seth or Jacob.

"SORRY" Alice called back to the little blonde demon.

"I'm awake, kinda" Jacob's grumbled voice suddenly filled the house.

"Oh for god's sake" I heard Jane growl before a muffled thud, that to be honest sounded like someone trying to smother someone else with a pillow, I grinned at the picture, it was something Jane would do.

"ALICE, get your ass back in here!" Leah suddenly yelled.

"Give me a minute!" my sister called back to her mate.

"Oh here we go-" Seth suddenly drawled "-I gotta tell ya sis, hearing you go at it is not the kind of alarm I need"

"Your time will come baby bro" Leah retorted smartly.

"Thank you for that picture Leah" Jane answered the female shifter.

"Hehe, sorry?" Leah offered.

"What you apologising to her for, its the truth" Tanya butted in.

"Yes but I certainly didn't need the mental picture of my brother taking it up the ass!" Jane screeched.

"How do you know hes gonna be the one on the bottom" Kate interjected.

"Yeah for all you know hes gonna be the one on top" Emmett added.

"Because Alec has always been an ass man, boy, person, you get what I mean right?" Jane asked us, I rolled my eyes I couldn't believe that it was nearly five o'clock in in the morning and we were discussing Seth and Alec's sex life, and we weren't even in the same room.

"I guess everyone is awake now huh?" Bella's amused voice travelled over the line, I had nearly forgotten I was on the phone with her.

"Ah you guessed right" I smiled.

"Oooh Bella is on the phone" Emmett suddenly drawled.

"-Where are you?"

"-Have you found her?"

"-When are you getting back?"

"-Has there been any trouble?"

"-Have you met any hot strippers?" Tanya asked suddenly, I growled threateningly even though I knew it was typical of Tanya to ask that sort of question, the thought of someone putting their hands on, _my _Bella had my fingers itching to tear something or someone apart, preferably both.

"I have no idea when I'll be getting back, but hopefully it wont take much longer" Bella answered over the line knowing that they could all hear her.

"Have you found her yet?" Esme's quiet pain-filled whisper silenced all of us.

"Not yet, but I think I'm getting closer" Bella answered honestly.

"Uh hello, I found it" Alice suddenly butted in, I looked at her expectantly.

"The Volturi jumped her, and took her down to their territory in Mexico" there was a gasp in the house that I knew belonged to Esme.

"Oh hell now we're all going to Mexico" Emmett growled, I could just see him flexing his muscles.

"No you guys are staying there, I'll bring her home" Bella said sternly.

"But, but..."

"No 'buts', Emmett you'll do as you're told or I'll kick your ass" Bella growled back at the excitable vampire.

"Awww man come on, please?" Emmett asked I could hear the pout in his voice.

"No, now I gotta go" I really didn't want her to get off the other line, I could listen to her all day and night, there was a chorus of 'byes' from my family, which earned them a chuckle from Bella.

"You better be careful" I hissed to her feeling my nerves start to go haywire again.

"I promise" I wasn't convinced, and the fact that she'd told all of us to stay here wasn't helping.

"I love you" I whispered.

"Love you too" I couldn't bring myself to end the call.

"Yeah I'd better..."

"Yes I'll, ah see you when you get home"

"Right, bye"

"Bye" I closed my eyes when the line went dead, I suddenly felt more alone than I ever had before.

"You know she'll be fine" Alice assured me, I smiled at her gratefully.

"MARY ALICE BRANDON!-" I nearly jumped out of

my skin when Leah's lust filled voice filled the house "-GET YOUR ASS IN HERE AND FUCK ME" I grinned when my sister ran out my room, the scent of her arousal lingered awhile before dissipating.

**Irina's POV.**

Question: How did you imprison a vampire?, answer: with some freaky ass metal, that Felix had called Peyral Ore, never in my thousand years had I ever heard if it, but it was there all the same, shackling my wrists and ankles to what looked like a giant slab of the stuff, it was a luminous purple and it was glowing in the darkness of my cell there were several other slabs lined up neatly with the one I was shackled to, I had no idea where the hell I was, all I knew was that I went out hunting a few days ago, and I remembered feeling like I was being followed, at first I thought it was Laurent so I'd ignored it without really investigating, that was probably the most stupid thing I'd ever done because now I was the Volturi's captive with no way of breaking out of these god forsaken manacles, and because of my previous behaviour my sisters probably thought I'd gone to our holiday home in Serbia, I was really going to have to take other people's thoughts into account before doing something like leaving the country without warning again, _thats if you get out of here, _my annoying inner voice butted in, over the past few days or however long I'd been in here, I was certain I was going partially insane I mean who has inner monologues with themselves, _apparently you do. _Suddenly a door openedallowing a stream of light to invade the room and shine directly into my sensitive eyes.

"Good morning sunshine, I brought you some company" Felix announced entering my cell, with an unconscious _Victoria?, _the red head was slung over his massive shoulder showing no signs of life whatsoever.

"What the fuck did you do to her?" I hissed as her laid Victoria out on the second slab of Peyral ore next to me, he pinned her arms above her head and whisper an incantation the ore suddenly latched onto her wrists firmly restraining them, shit getting out of here just became that much harder.

"I merely hit her, possibly harder than was strictly necessary but oh well" He shrugged dismissing me as he moved to Victoria's ankles, he muttered a different incantation to the first and the ore encircled her ankles.

"You know they will find us" I growled at the slightly younger vampire, he turned to me and smiled smugly.

"With the side affects of the Peyral ore, tracking your scents will become practically impossible even for the Fae, face _Cara mia, _you're screwed" He chuckled to himself, I hissed at him just as the light illuminating the cell was blocked out, I turned to find a gorgeous woman she was statuesque with a long, lustrous mahogany hair and long legs that were just meant to be wrapped around someone's waist as they worshipped her, _oh dear god what is wrong with me shes a Volturi_.

"Antagonising our guests Felix?" The woman drawled in her silky voice, it felt like her sensual voice was caressing my senses into a state of heightened awareness, I shook my head slightly trying to get rid of the dizzy feeling.

"I was mere assuring our guest that no one was going to find her and ruin our little party"

"Of course you were, anyways I only came down here to tell you that Renata is returning to Volterra as per the master's instructions"

"Thanks for the heads up Heidi"

"Certainly-" she said but remained lounging against the doorway "-She needs to feed" Heidi purred tilting her head at me, I was tempted to growl at her but she was right, I could feel the first signs of hunger, my limbs felt heavy my teeth were actually aching and thanks to whoever had jumped me back in Alaska I hadn't gotten the chance of feeding, making it a grand total of two and half months since I had last fed, thankfully I was an ancient meaning I could last longer than the average vampire before going insane with hunger.

"The master said that-"

"The master didn't say that they were to be starved" She hissed dismissively, I smirked when Felix lowered his head in submission, it made me wonder just how old Heidi was, I could feel power coming off her in waves but I couldn't quite place it, there was a very good chance she had some sort of power after all you didn't get 'invited' to join the Volturi unless you could earn your keep. I was going to have to watch this one very closely.

"Then take her if you think you can handle her" Felix snarled defensively, typical man he didn't like being ordered around by a woman.

"Oh I can handle her" as she came closer to me, I noticed she was about five-foot-ten without the five inch heels tucked into her black skinny jeans, she knelt beside me and her hands went to the shackles restricting my wrists, whispering something so quietly I couldn't quite catch it, she pulled my wrists away from the glowing slab but they weren't completely free, they were still restrained by the Peyral ore.

"I can't risk you running off" She explained while she released my wrists though once again they were still linked by the ore, I would still be able to walk but my stride would be limited.

"You know this is one step up from the chain gang, right?" I drawled sarcastically once she'd helped me to my feet.

"Would you rather go hungry-" She arched her shaped eyebrow at me in question "-Thought not" She muttered before leading the way out the cell, looking around I found myself in a large square room, the walls were painted white, there were four plush leather couches surrounding a glass coffee table and the floors were, what looked like black marble the whole thing was scentless and dust free, though it was a very basic design which made me think that this place wasn't used very often and it didn't answer the question of where I was.

"This way" Heidi lead the way over to a door which I hadn't noticed before because it was painted white, and blended into the wall perfectly, she opened it to reveal a flight of stairs, the railing had been worn away over the years and the stairs didn't look very safe, it was a good thing I wasn't human I thought to myself as I climbed the stairs in front of Heidi, when we got to the top, she reached past me and knocked on the door, I tried to ignore the shivers that shook my body when her arm brushed against my ribs, my efforts were futile though due to my hands being shackled behind me leaving my body open.

"Well this is a surprise" A male voice drawled as the door swung open, I came face to face with Demetri, he was six-foot-three and very lean, he step to the side and I walked past him and turned to find him running a fore finger up and down Heidi's upper arm suggestively, his eyes were black and the scent of his arousal was like acid burning the insides of my nostrils.

"Bring me back something sweet will you" Demetri asked Heidi, the tall vampire smiled sweetly before shaking her head.

"I'm not going that far into town Demetri, but I can find us something to chow down on later" She purred taking his hand and pulling it away from her.

"I'll hold you to that" Demetri purred dropping his hand, unwittingly my gaze went down to his pants the bulge I could see there made me want to either be sick or beat him to death, I wasn't sure, I frowned to myself what was making me act this way if I didn't know any better I'd say she was my...nope I wasn't even going there I already had one fledgling following me around like a lost puppy, I didn't need-.

"Come on, we need to get this done by mid-day" Heidi purred, I interrupting my train of thought. She lead the way through a complex series of tunnels, unfortunately I could only remember some of the way, after walking for about seven minutes she stopped in the middle of one of the narrow corridors which I found very odd as there was no end in sight and there wasn't any doors as far as I could see.

"You're looking the wrong way" She announced, I watched as she reached out to the side, the next thing knew she knocked on the wall?, this made no sense.

"Why hellooo hot stuff" A female voice greeted as the freaking wall opened to reveal a five-foot-three woman with waist length light brown hair, almost blonde.

"Chelsea?, when did you get here?" Heidi threw her arms around the tiny vampire in an affectionate hug, I watched this interaction closely amazed at the closeness they projected, I had always envisioned the Volturi to be cold and heartless even to each other.

"Oh little over an hour ago, I'm to relieve Renata" the tiny vampire explained, this time I noted that she had a light accent, defiantly not Italian maybe Greek.

"At least I won't have to deal with these buffoons on my own" Heidi breathed gently, Chelsea grinned transforming her beauty from that of a supermodel to that of a goddess, _yep_ I thought _defiantly Greek._

"We will catch up later right know I think this one needs to feed" Chelsea cast a look in my direction, am I that obvious, I thought as Heidi walked through another square room and opened another door, this one revealed a large desert area what the hell did they expect me to feed on, cactuses?.

"You're gonna need this-" I felt Heidi move behind me and wrap an ankle length grey cloak around my shoulders "-Wouldn't want our prey to get suspicious, now would we?" I stood completely still as she made sure every inch of my skin was covered before donning a cloak of her own and leading the way out into the desert.

**Bella's POV.**

Mexico, where in Mexico, I growled to myself and sped up so far I had concluded that they weren't near the coast, I was currently running in toward the centre, trying to pick up on Victoria's scent or Irina's. Tanya and Kate had said that she pulled the disappearing act all the time, but that didn't stop me worrying about her. Suddenly I felt a vibrating in the front pocket of my slacks, I managed to pull my cell from my pocket without stopping.

"Yeah?" I answer without checking the caller ID, it was either gonna be Alice or Rose, I knew that much they'd both been calling me all day after this morning, Rose had phoned me with hourly reports on our baby, which on one hand made me happier than I've ever been but on the other I was annoyed that I was doing cross-country when I should be with them, I mentally kicked myself I was doing this for Victoria so what if I wasn't there when our baby moved for the first time, or when Rose first had morning sickness, or she was simply missing me, on that note I really wanted to turn around and run back home to be with my mate and our baby.

"My vision changed" Alice's voice flooded the line.

"So what else is new" I smirked when she made a sound of pure irritation in the back of her throat.

"Listen Victoria is underground some place, and Irina is in a desert wearing the signature grey cloak of the Volturi guard" I could hear the suspicion in her voice.

"Come on Alice, Irina hates the Volturi as much as the next vampire"

"Look I think you should come back we need to think of a game plan, and the rest of the family will be back from school soon" I skidded to a stop beside a dusty side road, contemplating her words.

"All right but I'll have to come straight back" I said already changing course, heading up north towards my family, towards home.

**Seth's POV.**

"So has she found anything" Jacob asked Alice when the pixie finally came down the stairs, she flopped down on the couch next to a very pregnant Rosalie, when I'd first seen her this morning my jaw had nearly hit the floor, yesterday she'd had a flat stomach and today well she could be five months pregnant to the uninformed.

"Shes coming back so we can think of a plan" Rosalie started purring happily at the news, she sounded like a contented kitten.

"Why do we need a plan exactly, I say we get to Volterra, piss Rose off and unleash her on Aro that'll get the son of a bitch talking" Emmett grinned evilly, the over sized vampire had been itching for a fight all day.

"Okay number one: all I want to do is curl up on the couch with Bella, number two: even if I did threaten Aro theres no guarantee that he'd actually tell us where Victoria is, and number three: it could get some of us hurt or worse, number four-" Rosalie had been marking the points off on her fingers but now her eyes had gone wide and her lips were parted slightly "-I have to pee, again, I swear this child is using my bladder like a bouncy castle" Rose hissed before flashing up the stairs.

"The joys of parenthood" Alice smirked slouching in the couch.

"You never wanted kids?" I asked the pixie from my place beside Jacob on the opposite couch, Alice looked shocked for a moment before looking me in the eye.

"I don't remember" Alice said softly her eyes darkening with emotion, I couldn't imagine waking up one morning forgetting everything about myself, I'd probably go mad.

"It must have been hard" Jacob commented, I nodded in agreement with my pack leader.

"No it wasn't...I mean you can't miss something you never had, so making a new life wasn't exactly hard"

"But still you must find yourself wondering" I persisted, I really wanted to get to know my sister-in-law, screw marriage what was a slip of paper when Alice was bound to my sister in the deepest way possible aside from vampire and Fae matings.

"I tired to figure out who I was, but all I could find was the records at the asylum I was kept in and my grave stone, that was it"

"Damn I can't imagine what that would be like if you were human let alone a new born vampire" Jacob said gently.

"I figured things out quickly after the first year and then I started getting visions of Esme and everyone-"

"And then one day you just showed up with Jasper in tow and kicked Eddie out his prized room" Emmett laughed loudly, I couldn't help but chuckle I could just see the pixie literally kicking the obnoxious asshole out a large room.

"Yes he kicked up quite a fuss if I remember correctly" we all turned to find Esme standing just a few feet away from us, she was wearing loose sweat pants and a tank top, her hear was tied back at the nape of her neck, she looked lost and nervous, the sooner Bella found Victoria the better, I thought.

"Yeah he went crying to Carl...-" Emmett winced when Alice threw the TV remote at his head, the remote connected with Emmett's forehead with a loud thwack, the plastic remote shattered upon impact and fell to the floor.

"Ow, what the hell was that for!" Emmett growled at Alice rubbing his forehead, Alice tilted her head in Esme's direction with "Duh" look.

"Oh right, um yeah thats the end of that story" Emmett mumbled awkwardly.

"Alice I'd appreciate it if you didn't throw breakable objects at your brother's head" Esme scolded softly.

"Does that include titanium" Alice questioned with a hopeful expression.

"Yes I believe it does" Esme nodded for emphasise.

"You got it mom-" Alice turned to Emmett "-Sorry Em" the pixie apologised.

"Hey me and my big mouth needed it" Emmett said waving his hand absently, suddenly the sound of the wind rushing past me at a great speed accompanied Bella's arrival in the room.

"Hey-" She greeted us before tucking her hands in the back pockets of her slacks "-I couldn't find her" Bella admitted to Esme, the motherly vampire's expression remained impassive but I could see her eyes were coal black and shining brightly and I could almost scent the misery coming off her in waves.

"I'm going back upstairs" Esme eventually said before disappearing.

"Fuck I feel useless" Bella sighed harshly, before perching on the end of the couch.

"You're not the only one, sister" Alice assured her, I knew exactly what they meant.

"BELLA!" Rosalie suddenly came out of nowhere throwing her arms around her mate and littering kisses all over her face, before finally capturing her lips.

"How do we get our mates to act like that with us" Jacob growled as Rosalie sat down on the opposite couch with Bella beside her resting her hands on the swollen bump that was Rosalie's stomach, Bella's face lit up suddenly and Rosalie grinned in completion.

"Actually I think Alec likes Seth better than Jane likes you" Alice drawled out.

"Thanks pixie."

"Shit did I say that out loud"

"ALICE" Leah suddenly yelled from upstairs, her pheromones filling the house.

"Oooh saved by mother nature" Alice said running up the stairs, I rolled my eyes before turning to face Jacob, he looked very thoughtful.

"What if she never loves me" He whispered.

"Why wouldn't she?, you're a great guy" he suddenly looked at me with a "What the fuck" look plastered to his face.

"No I did not mean it like that" I defended myself and my innocent intentions.

"Hey man just don't let Alec catch you making those kinda comments"

"What kind of comments" My mates voice suddenly filled the room.

"Nothing you need to worry about" I said standing up and leaping over the couch so I could take his hand and drag him upstairs.

"Hey so I was wondering...Leah has gone into heat...so why haven't you?" He asked nervously.

"Leah goes into heat a couple days before us, we don't know why exactly its always been like that-" I answered honestly "-Why do you ask"

"Its just that ah...I think I'm ready to well you know" My wolf was howling inside my head and lust started to burn inside me, making my body heat up even more, suddenly the clothes I had on were a painful rasp over my sensitive skin, and hardening erection.

"You have got to be sure about this Alec" I forced myself to say while clenching my fists tightly, even thought right now my wolf didn't give a damn what he wanted.

"I'm sure" An animalistic snarl broke free of me before I launched myself across the room, backing him into the closed door, with my hands on either side of his head, I was already breathing hard and the sight before me was just making that much worse, he was staring up at me with his lips parted ever so slightly, his eyes were jet black and the scent of his blooming arousal was luring my wolf to the surface, I leaned down slowly giving him plenty of time to pull away, even as my instincts demanded I just take what I need from him, when he tilted his head back, I lost all composure. I crushed our lips together, and roughly bit at his lower lip growling when he opened his mouth letting me in the hot sweetness of his mouth, he tasted like honey. I plunged my tongue in and out of his mouth, feeling his hands move up to clutch at my broad shoulders while I moved one of mine to cup the back of his head, when his tongue shyly stroked along mine I couldn't help but moan deep in my throat, my shaft hardened painfully when he trailed one hand down my heaving chest to rest just above the waist band of my jeans, I arched my hips into him silently asking for more. Suddenly he broke our kiss I placed my hand back on the door, but before I could reclaim his soft lips, he was leaning forward and nibbling on the base of my neck, I shivered and threw my head back offering him greater access, the way he was licking my throat was making me shudder uncontrollably, my erection was throbbing with the need to cum inside his hot mouth, as he gripped the hem of my T-shirt I was distantly aware of opening my mouth to pant harshly, he pushed the black material up my chest as far as he could this action reminded me that while I stood at six-foot-ten, Alec was barely five-foot in total, shit it would be so easy to hurt him. I forced my hands away from the door so I could pull my shirt off, revealing my heavily muscled chest his hands were stroking me as I tossed my shirt off over to the side, I clenched my jaw and looked down at him he was smiling softly to himself, never before had I seen something so beautiful before, I cupped the side of his face and tilted his head up so I could press my lips against his, he pulled away before I could deepen it, suddenly his hands were moving closer and closer to my throbbing erection, I was filled with anticipation, I couldn't wait to have his hands on me. Just then he dropped to his knees, and he began unzipping my jeans, my eyes widened when I realised what he had in mind, I felt a blast of pre-cum pump out of the head of my cock, I clenched my thigh muscles and I caught his hands just as he pulled the zip down, as much as I wanted this I really wanted to lean every inch of his body and what he enjoyed before I let him do the same.

"Over on the bed" I growled down to him, he frowned slightly, but he stood up and hastily walked over to the large bed and sat on the side, I toed my boots off and balanced on one foot so I could pull my socks off I left my jeans on, hoping they would offer me some control when I did this. I breathed deeply before walking over and kneeling before him, I grinned when I got a look at the bulge in his slacks, he was bigger than I thought he'd be, a lot bigger. I lifted one of his feet up and removed his dress shoes and silk socks.

"Move up" I instructed, he moved to lean against the pillows, he was breathing shallowly as I crawled onto the mattress, I rested on my side next to him and slowly began to undo the buttons of his shirt, I spread the edges wide exposing his bare, lightly muscled chest, I leaned down and nibbled on the side of his neck while I drew lazy circles on the centre of his chest with the other, enjoying his soft moan as I started sucking on his neck just like he had mine. I trailed my hand down his body and cupped his erection through his slacks, rubbing gently, his loud moan echoed through the room making my own hard-on jerk with awareness, I single handedly unbuttoned his slacks, I slipped my hand inside and pulled his seven inch cock out, he hissed when I made contact with the long shaft, I wrapped my fingers around him and dragged it up brushing my thumb across the tip, smirking when I felt a drop of pre-cum leak from the mushroom shaped head. I dragged my head down to the hilt squeezing the hilt tightly, his sharp cry resounded around me, I loved the sound and moved my hand up and down in a fast rhythm, enjoying the way he arched his hips up to me, and his lust filled moans filled my head, my own cock was so hard it was beginning to hurt, I was desperate to bury it inside his ass, I just knew he would be as tight as a closed fist around me. I stopped jerking him off ignoring his desperate whimper of protest and shifted down the bed.

"Lift up" I patted his hips for emphasis, he arched his hips up and I quickly pulled his pants off tossing them over the side, I watched as he sat up and shed his shirt, his eyes landed the significant bulge in the front of my jeans, he licked his lips, suddenly all I could think of was having his lips wrapped around my cock sucking me furiously while I fisted my hand in his thick hair and thrust my thick cock inside his hot mouth, if possible my cock hardened that much more at the thought and my balls were aching to release their load. I moved back up the bed pressed a soft kiss to his lips, while he gripped my shoulders I felt him urging me onto my back, _oh sweet Jesus _I growled low in my throat when he pulled my sensitive shaft out of the confines of my pants, I winced at the pleasure of his touch, I looked down and our eyes met, satisfaction building inside me at the hungry look on his face as he stared at my nine and a half inch cock, the tip was flared and pre-cum leaked from the thick head, he swallowed hard before attempting to wrapped his hand around my thick length, I hissed in pleasure and arched my hips up to him, barely noticing that he couldn't encircle the entire width of my painfully hard flesh. Sweat broke out on my body and I groaned harshly when he eased his mouth over the head of my cock, it was exquisite the moist heat caressing me as his tongue stroked the underside of the engorged tip, I reached down and fisted my hand in his hair tightly and shoved my hips up forcing him to take more of my heavily veined shaft, mentally cursing myself when he choked, I clenched my jaw and forced myself to lower my hips, it was the hardest thing I've ever had to do, all I wanted to do my thrust my cock into his mouth until I shot my cum into him, I was desperate to for release. He started sucking on the head, before taking as much as my thick dick as he could making me growl at the hot interior, the suckling pleasure felt so fucking good, it would be a miracle if I lasted much longer, it had been too long since I had sex, and the fact that it was my imprint currently sucking my dick like a goddamn pro was too much. I couldn't fight the need, the hot rushing demand that I pump my seed into him.

"Alec, thats enough" I could feel my thighs quivering as I used every ounce of self control I had not to buck into his mouth wildly, he moaned around me before slowly pulling away from me lust evident on his face, the combined scents of our arousal filled the room, making my climax rise within me.

"Get on your knees" I growled briskly I could feel my wolf clawing for freedom, it had remained dormant up until this point but now it was howling demanding that I dominate my mate in the most primal way I could, he hastily obeyed me with a whimper of submission and I moved in behind him, instinct and lust ruled me now, I reached over and pulled the top drawer of the side table open and reached for the bottle of lube, I poured the clear lube onto my shaft groaning at the sensations it caused, before coating my finger with more of the lube before replacing the bottle in the drawer, I pressed my finger to his puckered entrance, his drawn out moan made my cock jerk, his hips pushed closer to me, the firm mounds of his backside tightening and releasing as I pushed my finger inside the tight channel, lubricating the hot little hole, the need burning inside me made my movements swift and jerky as I pushed another finger inside him, he was panting and thrusting back into me. I withdrew my fingers and gripped his hips, he moaned when I lodge the head of my cock at his puckered asshole, I fought my instincts as I looked from the thickness of my shaft and the tiny hole I was about to fuck, it seemed inevitable that I was going to end up hurting him, even with the lube. I pushed the tip of my cock inside him, groaning at how hot he was just as he screamed beneath me, pain or pleasure?, I couldn't tell which, I pressed in further feeling the hot bite of his inner muscles clamping down on me, milking my dick, I couldn't breath the pleasure was that intense.

"Mmm you're tight" I muttered pushing more and more of my cock into him, I could feel sweat running down the side of my face and coating my chest as I stretched him further. He shuddered beneath me, moaning and crying out driving me insane with the need to just pound away, I sighed in pleasure when I was finally buried to the balls inside my mate, his muscles were like a vice around me, I gripped his hips tightly as I began to move pulling my thick length from him until just the tip of my cock was still inside him, before slamming back in, I set a furious pace feeling him begin to meet my thrusts, my cock tunnelled inside him with long and deep strokes, growls were breaking free from me as I used my hold on his hips to roughly pull him back into my pounding hips as I began to increase the speed and depth of my thrusts, we moaned together feeling our long-awaited orgasms began build, suddenly I heard him scream just as I felt him clamp down on my cock, begging for my seed, I plunged inside him even harder as he clasped to the mattress groaning weakly as his orgasm swept through him I kept our hips locked together when finally I felt my cock twitch as my seed pumped into him, I yelled out as I continued to thrust in powerful strokes forcing him to take every drop of my cum, I collapsed on top of him when I was finished, the cool air in the room, was freezing against my sweat soaked skin, as I panted into his neck, I pressed a tiny kiss to where his pulse point would have been.

"Fuck you drained me" I mumbled into his neck feeling my muscles go lack, he chuckled beneath me making me smile at the carefree sound.

"We better go back downstairs" he pointed out.

"Yep, but I need a shower first-" I gently pulled my still semi-hard cock from his tight ass "-Wanna join me?" I asked getting up off the bed and headed toward the bathroom, I smiled when I heard him follow.

**No one's POV.**

When the red head came around she hissed at the pounding pain in her head, she forced herself to open her eyes and was met by complete darkness, she blinked rapidly ignoring the throbbing pain in her head, she breathed deeply growling when she didn't catch anyone's scent, which meant that her prey wasn't close, she growled again when she remembered him fleeing from her, she suddenly became aware of something wrapped around her wrists, looking up she found a glowing purple substance restraining her wrists, she pulled against it, snarling when it refused to give way, before trying again, suddenly a door opened and the large vampire that had hit her stepped in.

"Evening" She growled in response, he chuckled to himself before settling down beside her.

"What sent you into the Ira sanguinem then?" She closed her eyes against the images that followed his question, _A loud scream sounded off to my left, I stopped running instantaneously, I knew that scream though whenever I heard it, it had always had the undertone of pleasure this time all I could sense was fear, a loud animalistic snarl broke free from my chest before I bolted in the direction of Esme's scream, within seconds I found my mate being pinned to the ground by her shit head ex-husband. _The red head whimpered in longing she wanted her mate, wanted to comfort and protect her but she couldn't do that because of these fucking shackles, adrenaline burst through her she lurched against the shackles trying to break free.

"Thats not gonna work you know-" the man said softly "-You might as well settle down".

"E-Esme" the red head stuttered, she wanted to go to her mate.

"Carlisle's mate?" Her enraged snarl filled the room.

"Mine" she growled at him.

"Well that explains a lot" He sighed slightly.

"Felix, Aro is on the phone" Another male voice drawled from the doorway, the large male stood up and left the room, pulled the door closed and casting the red head into darkness.

**Bella's POV.**

"If they've taken her underground its gonna be kinda difficult trying to track her" I pointed out to the rest of my family, minus Seth, Alec, Leah and Esme.

"I have an idea about that-" Alice spoke up, we all looked at her expectantly "-Well there are only so many underground caves and entrances, plus they'd need to be away from the humans, that narrows it down to about three or four"

"Face it Bells you're gonna need us to do this" Emmett smiled in satisfaction, I smirked at him, this was typical Emmett always eager for a fight.

"Fine Em, you can come, but don't go bitching to Kate when you can't keep up with me" Emmett narrowed his eyes on me when Kate sniggered into her closed fist.

"Hey can I come?" Tanya asked from the head of the table.

"Yeah why not, I assume that means you're coming too huh Jazz" I muttered to the Texan.

"Damn straight Bella" He drawled in his southern twang.

"All right we leave in an hour"

**TBC . . .**

**AN: So what did ya think, mainly about the 'Vampire restraints' cause I actually made that up(Shocker), and I'm really not sure about it. In the next chapter Bella heads back down to Mexico to find Victoria, Jacob goes into heat, Irina gets closer to the Volturi and Edward shows up at Denali, now the plan is to have the next chapter up by Thursday.**


	21. Chapter 21

Title: Coming Home.

Pairings: Bella/Rosalie, Leah/Alice, Esme/Victoria.

Rating: M

Disclaimer: Nothing is mine, it all belongs to Stephanie Meyer.

Summary: The Cullens left in New Moon, Victoria changed Bella, together along with Jacob, Seth, and Leah they've lived in Forks for over a century. What happens when the Cullens come back.

**AN: Thanks for the awesome reviews guys. Now then like I said in this chapter, Bella heads down to Mexico and theres a surprise waiting for her, Victoria comes back to herself, while Irina bonds with Heidi kind of, Esme struggles without Victoria while Rosalie tries to console her and then Jacob realises that he'll be going into heat soon and has a melt down. **

**Okay questions:**

**Etain-Cassiopeia-Lestrange**** -**** the whole deal with Irina is that, while Laurent has mated with her, shes actually mated with Heidi, I think it will make for a good love-triangle.**

**ShadowCub**** -**** Will things settle down when Rose has the baby?, Mmm maybe but then again maybe not, I already have a few ideas about whats gonna happen, and all of them have a load of drama.**

**Mrs. AubreeCullen**** -**** (Chuckles nervously) guess ****I revealed a little too much about the ageil thing, but oh well. Anyways I just wanna let you know that I will seriously try to keep my updates as regular as possible.**

**Chapter twenty one, Tanya's POV.**

"I don't know but I been told, One thousand, two hundred and ninety six miles ain't shit-" I chanted as we ran towards the Mexican border, well we were running our asses off, Bella's was barely jogging, the show off.

"If you can't keep up you shouldn't have come along" Said show off called back to me, I simply made a face at her back before pushing myself to run faster, lets see who can't keep up now, I smirked when I finally over took the Fae...for all of two seconds, she laughed softly before running past me with ease.

"Would you two slow down, we can barely keep up" Emmett called out to us, I looked over to Bella she was starring right back at me, a soft smirk etched into her face as we raced ahead of the boys.

"What do you say we make this a little interesting?" I grinned when I saw the competitive glint in her neon blue eyes.

"What did you have in mind?" Mmm now was this going to be a good idea, I wondered to myself before making my finale decision.

"If you beat me to the crack shack, I will happily be your willing slave for a week-" I smiled when I heard a growl from behind me, before she nodded for me to continue "-But if I win, you have to name your first born daughter after me."

"Tanya Junior?"

"Hey I'd call my own kiddie that but I can't have them so..." I shrugged while running alongside her.

"Fine you're on"

"On the count of three"

"One"

"Two"

"Thr-" Suddenly I heard a low snarling sounds all around us, I stopped in my tracks as did Bella, we both looked around while Jasper and Emmett joined us.

"What the hell was that?" I pondered, still looking around the bare desert area, I couldn't see anything but if I had learned one thing over the centuries it was, 'even if ya can't see it, it doesn't mean its not there' curtsey of being jumped by Kate and Irina one too many times, after a shopping spree.

"It sounded like coyotes" Jasper concluded coming over to stand next to me, as though those cute little mongrels could hurt me, it was cute albeit a little annoying, I was the elder in this relationship, I was the one with the knowledge the power the money the complete awesomeness, and here my darling mate was in all his glory acting like a three foot skinny dog could actually do damage to me.

"They're very organised-" Bella commented absently closing her eyes to feel their movements "-Perhaps a little _too_ organised"

"You're just being paranoid, now come on lets get out of here before we actually do find something" I set off at a jog, waiting for them to catch up with me.

**Irina's POV.**

Its times like this that being a vampire is severely beneficial, God knows if I had been human I'd have passed out hours ago in this heat, I had no idea where we were, well not exactly, I had scented the odd human but as soon as the delectable scent drifted over to me, Heidi lead me away from it which I found frustrating to say the least as my hunger, once barely noticeable was now a constant churning ache and as far as I could tell there wasn't anything edible in this direction that I could scent.

"Where exactly are we going?" I found myself asking the tall brunette in front of me, Heidi turned her head around and smirked cockily.

"Getting hungry Irina?" I resisted the urge to snarl something insulting, obviously she was trying to irritate me and damn if it wasn't working, but as far as I was concerned two could play at this game of hers.

"You might say that" I purred back to her, deliberately trailing my eyes up and down her body, normally I wasn't attracted to females but you'd have to be dead or blind not to appreciate her insanely long legs that peaked out of her cloak with each step, her firm ass, curvy hips that slid into a slender waist, her generously sized breasts sat high on her chest just above her flat stomach, in short she had a body I'd die to taste, just once.

"Mmm do you want coyote or bobcat or maybe something a little sweeter?" Heidi grinned knowingly when my eyes were focused on her stunning face again.

"How sweet are we talking" I tilted my head at her, tracking her with my eyes when she turned around completely and stalked over to me. Her hips were swaying seductively, I could feel myself begin to breathe shallowly as she got closer and closer, she smelled like lavender I noted when she was barely an inch away from me.

"Very sweet" She whispered leaning down to me, closing the distance between us until her lips were so close I could already taste them, I closed my eyes, anticipation filling me with the speed of a tidal wave.

"I really hope I'm not interrupting anything" An lightly accented voice drawled from behind us, I sighed in disappointment when Heidi pulled away from me and looked over my shoulder at the new comer.

"If I said you were, would you leave Chelsea?" Heidi scowled at the much older vampire.

"Nope" the tiny vampire smiled coming into view.

"Well then..." Heidi trailed off quietly pulling away from me, I had to force myself not to follow her "...Shall we hunt?" she resumed walking just ahead of me while Chelsea came to walk beside me.

"What did you have in mind" Chelsea asked the taller vampire.

"Amur leopard" Heidi called back to us, the scent of her arousal was like an aphrodisiac designed to provoke the same response in me meaning I struggled to remember that the Amur leopard was Russian, just like...me.

**Victoria's POV**

Nothing had ever felt so fucking painful as the furious pounding in my head, it was like someone was repeatedly driving a goddamn hammer into the back of my skull. I hissed in pain before trying to rub my eyes hoping to relieve the agony, only my hands weren't obeying me, I forced myself to open my eyes whimpering at the sensation, I looked up pushing past the pain to find my hands bound to a slab of glowing purple, rock?, metal? I didn't have a clue but whatever it was it wasn't letting go of my wrists, I pulled at the them weakly I wasn't at all surprised when nothing happened, I closed my eyes again, and tried to remember how the hell I got here. After a few seconds all I could recall was running, blood and a massive fist flying towards my face, accompanied by the feelings of helpless rage. Suddenly I heard a loud thud from somewhere close to me, followed by annoyed male voices before I heard one set of footsteps travelling towards me while the other walked away from me, I heard a door being opened just as a large male walked into my cell.

"Evening-" the unfamiliar man greeted, I groaned in response my head was still pounding "-I just wanted to say that when Heidi and the girls get back, I'll take you hunting"

"Where am I?" I asked utterly confused, where was Esme and Bella..._Esme, _oh sweet Jesus everything came back to me with a vengeance, wherever the fuck I was I needed to get out, I needed to get back to my mate, shit I could only imagine how badly she was hurting right now and here I was chained to a fucking mystical piece of-

"You're in Mexico" he drawled, then why couldn't I scent any dust or anything.

"Where in Mexico?" I closed my eyes already formulating a plan, the oaf over near the door looked like a less excitable Emmett, maybe I could piss him off and trick him into attacking then all I'd have to do is manoeuvre myself a little and pray these restraints wouldn't hold up under his obviously considerable strength.

"_Casa de Volturi" Nice answer jackass, _what the hell am I supposed to do with that, plan A wasn't going to be an option I could tell by his warm tone, miserable bastard, but maybe I could make friends with him like in those movies I'm always watching.

"Huh so why am I here?" I asked softly, making sure that none of my desperate need to get out of dodge poured into my voice.

"Because Aro wants the Fae, and you're one of her weaknesses" _that _caught my attention, mother fucker I knew Aro was a sneaky son of a bitch, but even I didn't see this coming.

"'Weaknesses', yeah sure shes really gonna miss me-" _Lets try Plan B, _I thought to myself "-Me and Bella are constantly at each other's throats-" Lie "-In fact just last month she growled something about me not being her mother so I should go set myself on fire-" Actually she said the opposite but if it got He-man on side, I'm not arguing "-And don't even get me started on domestic issues, I swear that girl lives in a..."

"Enough, theres no use in trying to feed me this bullshit, I already know about how close you two are thanks to fuckward" Felix spat out the insult to Edward, distaste clouding his face, which I didn't fail to pick up on.

"Can't blame a girl for trying-" I sighed roughly before smirking to myself "-Is it just me or does everyone call him that?" Referring to Edward, Felix chuckled softly in response.

"Yep I think we do-" I opened my eyes to find Felix grinning widely, suddenly it was gone just as fast as it appeared clearly he'd been told not to socialise with the 'guests' "-I'd better go" he quickly strode from the room slamming the door shut behind him, leaving me alone in the darkness. My thoughts trailed to Esme, an acute pain bloomed in my chest, I couldn't bare the thought of her thinking I'd just left her thats what she must think, damn it all to hell what kind of mate am I?, first I leave her to hunt then fucking shit for brains Carlisle shows up and now I've let her down again, maybe I didn't deserve to get back to her, maybe I should just leave her find someone that won't let anything like _that,_ happen again at much as the thought plagued me until I felt jealous rage boil inside me to the point I felt my eyes turn black and my strangled snarls filled the cell. No I was gonna get back to Esme, then if she chose to send me away then I'd leave and watch over her from a distance, but only if thats what she wants.

**Rosalie's POV.**

At this point I think Esme would sell her soul to get Victoria back, I understood the feeling entirely I wanted Bella with me so damn badly it almost hurt, but at least I had the somewhat familiar fluttering sensation of my baby moving around constantly, it seems like titch just can't get comfortable, kinda like me, I had been sat on the couch across from Esme and next to Alice for the best part of twenty minutes and I could already feel my lower back begin to cramp, it was uncomfortable to say the least.

"So what do you want to watch?" Alice asked after a long silence grabbing the brand new remote and pointing it at the TV, I still couldn't believe Alice had demolished the remote I mean couldn't she have just elbowed Emmett, I shrugged in answer while shifting around so I was leaning against the arm of the couch with my legs crossed at the knee, but sadly it only induced pressure on my bladder, I quickly unfolded my legs and crossed them at the ankle instead, it was a little more comfortable, but still the ache in my back was persistent.

"Esme?" I looked over at my mother, she was staring right ahead her eyes were glazed over completely unfocused, she was sitting on the other couch with her legs drawn up to her and her arms wrapped around them, I really think that maybe I should have left her upstairs, at least there she would be surrounded with Victoria's scent which I knew would comfort her better than mine and Alice's combined efforts.

"Ancient re-runs of project runway it is" Alice muttered to herself, after a couple of hours of Heidi Klum going over and over the promising new designs and eliminating them, I was thoroughly bored out my head, a quick glance at the clock on top of the mantle piece told me it was only half past one, I had gone a grand total of seventeen hours without Bella's voice and it was killing me.

"I'm gonna call Bella" I said to my silent companions, Alice was engrossed in the show while Esme hadn't moved a fraction of an inch all day, I sighed before leaning forward and grabbing my cell off the coffee table, and swiftly went into contacts and found Bella's number, I brought the phone up to my ear and waited to hear my angel sing.

"Hey baby" I swallowed hard mentally chanting _"Caller ID" _over and over again.

"Hey honey, hows things?" I asked gently silently congratulating myself when I didn't growl anything accusing like the last time.

"Well we've set up shop at the 'crack shack' as Tanya put it, Emmett and Jasper have already gone out looking and me and Tanya were just heading out very soon, she just needs to call Eleazar"

"Jeez I completely forgot about him and Carmen" I admitted, but then none of us had really had any time to think about them as of late.

"You're not the only one" Alice muttered beside me, she turned the TV off and turned to look at me.

"Yeah well we just wanted to find out if the Volturi had any safe houses down here, beats running around in circles hoping to find something."

"Yeah I guess it does, so how are you"

"Missing you" fucking hormones I could feel my eyes begin to burn at the pure emotion in her voice, I blinked rapidly preventing myself from crying.

"I miss you too" I whispered gently.

"Hey Bella stop pouring your heart out I got some good news" I heard Tanya over the line.

"Guess thats my cue to hang up right?" I smiled at the impatience in Tanya's voice.

"Mmm I don't want you to"

"So you hang up instead"

"No you"

"Hey I know I'll hang up for you" I heard Tanya growl.

"Try it and I'll shove my boot up so far up your ass that Jasper will feel it"

"Ooooh I'm gonna tell him you said that"

"Bitch do I look like I care"

"Actually-"

"Yeah so I'm gonna go, but I'll call you later tonight?" I wasn't sure how long it was going to take them to check out Tanya's 'good news', but hopefully I wouldn't have to wait that long to hear her voice again.

"I'll be waiting, love you"

"Love you too, talk to you later" I reluctantly ended the call, I immediately wanted to phone her back until I felt Alice's hand on my shoulder, I placed mine over hers for once I was grateful my family could read me like a book, I swear if Alice and everyone weren't monitoring my every move I would be half way to Mexico by now.

"So do you guys want to help me shop for the baby's stuff" I asked suddenly, I needed something to distract myself until tonight.

"Yesss!, just give me an hour" Alice was on her feet and running upstairs I got the feeling she was going to be taking care of Leah before we went. I stood up slowly pressing my hands to my lower back when it began to throb.

"Are you coming?" I asked my mom, Esme didn't respond at all, I walked over and placed my hand on her knee I didn't expect her to jerk away from me, I pulled back quickly, cursing myself for not thinking before acting. She was panting softly and looking straight through me, I backed up slowly watching her carefully.

"Sorry" I winced at the animalistic sound of aggression she made in the back of her throat, she swallowed hard before standing up watching me carefully.

"What did you want again?" She asked shakily backing away from me slowly.

"Do you ah, wanna get out the house for a bit" I could already guess what the answer was going to be.

"No I just don't want to..."

"Hey its fine, we can do it all over the internet"

"Rose you don't have to, you and Alice should go and have fun"

"What and have the pixie go overboard, no way."

"You shouldn't have to, I'll be fine"

"I know you will be, but I really want you to be a part of this and I don't have a clue where to start plus if I go with Alice my baby will end up wearing Gucci baby grows" I smiled at the image.

"Okay I'll go get the laptop" Esme walked away from me, I tried to ignore the way she tensed instinctively when her back was turned. It suddenly dawned on me, I knew exactly how to get her to relax a little. I walked through the house and headed up the stairs, only to get blasted with the scent of Leah's arousal and a chorus a needy moans, I moaned softly feeling my own arousal pulsing inside me, I shook my head softly dispelling my lustful haze before I headed down to Esme's room and slipped inside looking around I breathed deeply searching for something that held Victoria's scent, walking through the room my eyes landed on a discarded T-shirt, it was at least three sizes larger than Victoria and five sizes bigger than Esme, I picked the deep teal blue material up off the floor, it was smothered in Victoria's cinnamon scent, this would do nicely I decided and quickly headed back downstairs.

**Bella's POV.**

"Good news my ass" I hissed to the blonde, how could this possibly be good news, I thought shifting from slightly.

"At least Rose isn't here" Tanya grinned at me from beneath her black hoodie, the sun was bright in the sky meaning we had to cover up which unfortunately earned us very weird looks, not that I'd been expecting anything else after all it was well over sixty five degrees and me and Tanya were covered from head to toe.

"If Rose where here she'd either up and leave me or she'd tear the place apart _and _then she'd leave me." I retorted glancing at the strip club Tanya's 'Good news' had lead us to, it was classy I suppose, well there wasn't any sexist displays outside it, which was a plus point in my book.

"I won't tell her if you don't" Tanya smirked before heading inside the confidence in her stride as the thing of legend, while I stood beside our rented Jeep deciding whether or I should follow, if I did Rose would probably fly into a rage and completely ignore me for the next few weeks or until she got horny enough to use me and if I didn't well Tanya would never let me hear the end of it. I growled under my breath before sauntering into the club the sultry music filled my ears as I tried ignoring the lusty looks I was getting even as the Fae in me snarled in disgust. I found Tanya sat at a table in the centre of the dark room surrounded by a group of half-dressed men and women swooning over her. It was the woman across from Tanya that made the back of my neck tingle, she was belatedly a vampire, her skin was pale but something about the hue made me think that she had once had bronzed skin, her long raven hair was left to fall done to her lower back and she was dressed in a black tank top with black leather pants and four inch heels, though I got the impression that she really didn't need them.

"Maybe you're not whipped after all" I heard Tanya whisper for my ears only, I smirked to myself before approaching the other supernatural creatures in the club.

"Bella I presume?" The unfamiliar vampire purred with a light Spanish accent while indicating I should sit down next to her.

"You presume correctly" I drawled with a soft nod.

"I'm Maria" she held her hand out to me which I took hesitantly, where did I know that name from?.

"Maria?, as in the one that fought in the southern wars" I asked pulling my hand out of her grasp.

"Darling I started the southern wars-" She winked at me "-And I won them all with the help of my child, I believe you know him, Jasper Whitlock?" Huh I didn't remember Jasper mentioning that, jeez we were all going to have to sit down and play twenty questions if we ever got the chance.

"Evenin' ladies" Jasper drawled appearing out of nowhere and sitting down beside Tanya glowering at the humans still fawning over Tanya, while Emmett took the spare chair next to Maria opposite me.

"Now that we are all here, care to tell me what this is all about?" Maria asked in her light Spanish accent while looking at us closely.

"Our coven mate has been kidnapped by the Volturi, they're holding her somewhere here in Mexico" Tanya answered as she placed her hand possessively on Jasper's broad shoulder. While Maria hissed angrily this was when I noticed her eyes were actually red, I wasn't entirely surprised she didn't seem like the type to live off my former 'special' diet.

"Well I will help in anyway possible" Maria growled dangerously.

"You don't fear the Volturi?" Emmett blurted out making Maria grin evilly at him, it was amusing to watch Emmett squirm under Maria's merciless gaze.

"The Volturi are like rats, easily exterminated-" Maria laughed softly before her expression became annoyed "-But no matter how many you kill there is always more just waiting to take their place" She sighed.

"True enough-" I agreed "-So what do we do now?" I asked.

"We wait until nightfall when its safe for us to move around freely, then we are going to go play exterminator" Maria smiled.

**Jacob's POV.**

I was going to go into heat any day, I could tell from the way I was over heated, my skin felt so frigging sensitive that even the soft material of my T-shirt was actually hurting as it grazed over my muscles with each step I took.

"Hey maybe I should take you home" Kate suggested, I shook my head while we walked to our last class of the day, English.

"I'll be fine" I lied, I really needed to take a cold shower, not because I was aroused but because of my soaring temperature it was so uncomfortable, you'd think after a century of this I'd be used to it, at first I'd feel ill and over heated, then I'd search for a suitable mate, only this time the woman I was born for was near, so near that when the last stage of heat came on I wouldn't be able to stop myself from from taking her, whether she wanted it or not, shit I still didn't know how Jane felt about this and we hadn't even kissed yet so how could she possibly be okay, I stopped walking suddenly Kate also came to a stop beside me.

"Jake whats wrong?" Kate asked farrowing her brow while looking up at me.

"I have to go" I clenched my jaw tightly, I had to get away from Jane I didn't want to hurt her, not if I could help it.

"Finally I'll go get the car" I caught her arm as she made to move away from me, I looked at her closely.

"No I need to leave Alaska" I whispered gently I could feel the wolf inside me snarl in protest.

"What you're not making any sense"

"I can't hurt Jane, I need to get out of here" I turned and walked back down the now empty hall, I could hear Kate following me.

"Jake wait up, we should talk about this or you should talk to Jane or Seth, someone" I ignored her and dropped my book bag before breaking out into a run, I sped down the halls until I found the exit the bitter wind bit into my burning skin as I ran down through the parking lot and down the road, it was only when I was safely in the forest that I let the beast out its cage, transforming into my giant russet wolf I vaulted through the trees heading south, I already missed my mate, but in the end this was for the best.

**Rosalie's POV.**

"Okay crib, check. Mobile, check. Pram, car seat, stair gate, toys, bottles just in case-" I shook my head as Alice ran through her lists, she was only just past the essentials, we hadn't even got onto clothes or even what colour wallpaper we were getting.

"Alice you know when I said shopping I didn't mean we needed to get it all at once besides Bella should be here for some of it" I spoke to my excited sister while she quickly scanned the web page.

"Uch you snooze ya lose" Alice growled dismissively, I leaned back in the kitchen chair watching Alice order more and more baby stuff, the pixie was going crazy with Bella's credit card, I wonder if my mate knew I had it?, oh well she would by the end of the month I glanced over at Esme quickly, she'd pulled Victoria's shirt on and I could see her drawing her mate's scent into her every so often, she hadn't spoken much but at least she wasn't shying away from us. Suddenly my cell started vibrating, I reached into my front pocket and pulled it out, a quick glance at the Id told me it was Kate on the other line.

"Whats up Kate" I greeted the other blonde.

"Rose there is no time to talk, has Jake been back to the house?"

"Uh no I haven't-"

"Shit!"

"Kate whats-"

"Jacobs gone"

"What do you mean?"

"Jacob has left Alaska, poof!, just like that and I can't keep up with him" I looked at the shocked faces of my mother and sister, with my eyebrows raised in question.

"Right I'll go out and look for him" I assured my sister.

"No not in your condition I'll keep trying, I only called so you knew what was going on"

"Does Jane know"

"No idea, look I gotta go. I just picked up on his scent again"

"All right call me when you find something"

"Will do" the line suddenly went dead, I lowered my phone. Crap why hadn't we seen this coming and what should we do about it, maybe he'd go to Bella, I quickly pressed one on my speed dial, "_The network you are-", _fucking operator, I ended the call half-way through the message.

"What are we going to do?" Alice asked suddenly.

"What can we do?" I retorted.

"Phone Jane" Esme answered, she had a point Jane really needed to know, even if I did have a sneaky suspicion that Jacob did this for her.

**Bella's POV.**

"So where are we going?" I called over to Maria, the latina was running just in front of me heading west.

"The Sonoran desert, the Volturi have an old compound on the coast, the entrance doubles as an old cabin, its impossible to miss" Well the pixie was close as far as I knew the Sonoran was just outside Mexico.

"I'll meet you there" I quickly started running as fast as I could, which was pretty damn fast, it didn't even take a minute to run across the country, I found the cabin right on the coast next to a cliff, it wasn't a mystery as to why the Volturi never use this place any more, the cabin was in danger of falling into the sea due to the years of erosion this particular area had suffered. Walking over toward the log cabin I guessed that it had to be well over a century, maybe a little more, the wood was ageing and the door looked like if the wind picked up it would come off its hinges, I quietly pushed the door open, or at least I tried to the old wooden door creaked loudly. I slipped inside the cabin to find it was completely empty with another door on the other side of the small square room, why did I have a bad feeling about this?.

**Victoria's POV.**

Over the years patience had become my middle name, but this was ridiculous. It must have been at least seven hours since Felix had come in here, and staring into space trying not to let myself torture myself with thoughts about Esme. Suddenly there was a loud shout from outside my cell.

"Victoria!, where the hell are you" surely I was hearing things, there was no way that I had just heard Bella.

"Victoria!, I could use a little help"

"Bella?" I let myself hope that my daughter had found me.

"Thank you!" Abruptly the door to myself flew open and Felix was thrown into the room followed by Bella.

"Did you miss me?" Bella smirked, relief flooded me finally I was going to get out of here.

"Horribly so" I drawled, as Bella walked further into the room and grabbed Felix before dragging him over to me.

"Now then Felix, I'll make you a deal you get her out of whatever the hell that glowing crap is and I'll let you go, if not well then lets just say you wont be seeing Volterra again"

"If I let her go, the masters will kill me anyway"

"No they wont"

"You've never met them, you don't know what they're like"

"Look I can grantee you, if you help us Aro won't be able to touch you" there was a long silence after Bella spoke, where Felix just stared at the ground I was convinced he wasn't going to get me out of here, but then he reached out a shaking hand and pressed it to the ore, whispering that illusive incantation, when my wrists were free I waited for him to move to my ankles, once they were free I was on my feet just as I heard footsteps approached the cell, I tensed readying myself for a fight.

"Relax its just Maria, Tanya and the boys" Bella drawled before said vampires filled the room.

"You okay?" Tanya asked immediately, I nodded in answer.

"Mmm Bella you caught a rat-" The woman I didn't recognise smirked, looking at Felix with a blood thirsty expression, I had to admit it was kind of intimidating and I was no stranger to a good fight "-You gonna kill him or can I have the pleasure"

"I'm not going to kill him and neither are you" Bella growled helping Felix to his feet.

"Hes a Volturi he deserves it" Maria hissed angrily taking a step forward, before she could get any further Jasper gripped her forearm and gave her a look that could only be interpreted as "You really don't want to do that", too bad the latina wasn't listening. She jerked her arm away from Jasper and glared at Bella.

"This is _my _territory,_ you_ don't give the orders around here" Maria growled, I could understand her logic after all the shit the Volturi pulled it was about time someone put them in their place.

"This might be your territory, but I could easily take it from you so I suggest you back the fuck off" Bella hissed baring slightly longer than usual canines while her eyes darkened, Maria blinked softly, I could tell that she was only just beginning to see the dominant side in Bella, this action made me wonder if they'd told her what Bella was.

"Lets go home" Bella started towards the door when Felix spoke up.

"What about me." Bella looked over her shoulder at the large vampire, before reaching into her front pocket and pulling her cell out, she tossed it over to him and he caught it easily.

"I'll be in touch" Bella said simply before walking toward the door again Tanya, Jasper and Emmett walked out ahead of her. I sent one last glance around the room before following my family out the room.

**Heidi's POV.**

Walking back to the safe house, I could feel Irina's gaze boring into my back, it was distracting and confusing. The instant attraction I felt towards her was like nothing I had ever experienced before. Suddenly Chelsea was coming to stand beside me, she pointed toward the entrance to our safe house where several figures were coming out, one of them had blazing red hair that I could see from my position two and a half miles away thanks to my vampire eyesight, suddenly the figure at the front a tall woman with long red-black hair was looking over towards us, even at this distance I could see her shinning blue eyes, fear flooded my veins instinctively as my body recognised the superior predator, urging me to flee. Just when I thought the woman would come over to us, a blonde woman went over to her silently urging her to leave. I watched as one-by-one they all left the area.

"The Fae?" I asked my mentor, Chelsea exhaled roughly before nodding.

"We'd better check on Felix and-"

"Why would you need to check on Felix" Demetri asked appearing behind us, the scent of blood filled my nostrils, annoyance filled me at the satisfied smirk on his face.

"You were supposed to be here!" I hissed, had he been here...well we have still lost the prisoner, but on the up side at least, I wouldn't have to deal with Demetri anymore.

"Well I needed to feed, among other things" the grin that covered his face assured me that there would a missing child on the news tonight, sometimes I found Demetri so fucking repulsive, the only thing keeping me from making a fuss about it was the fact that I knew things wouldn't change and while I could easily take him in a fight, the masters valued him greatly.

"Enough children, lets go inside" Chelsea spoke soothingly, using her power to reaffirm the bond between us, I watched as Demetri winked at me and sauntered towards the cabin.

"Why do you have to do that?" I clenched my jaw while I was filled with feelings of tolerance, Chelsea had the power to either weaken or strengthen the bonds between people, and while she only used it when necessary or when she was ordered to, it still pissed me off either way when she used it on me.

"Because if you killed him, then the masters would kill you even with your power. And it would be such a shame if I lost my little hellion because she got annoyed, remember what I taught you?"

"'Patience to the spider'"

"Exactly there will come a time when Demetri meets the end he deserves, but until then. Just try to be civil" With that the ancient vampire walked towards the cabin, while I rolled my eyes at her back.

"I always thought the Volturi would be-"

"-Heartless?" I finished for Irina, when she came closer to me, my skin was suddenly tingling when she brushed against my arm even thought I had a cloak on.

"I was going to say distant, but that works" I could feel myself smirking at that.

"Well I guess you'd know all about being distant, I mean what with Laurent and that" I grinned in satisfaction when she growled.

"How do you know about that?"

"Edward is the most arrogant, self-righteous little shit on the planet, possibly in history, but he has his uses"

"Yeah, like being a throw rug when Bella gets her hands on him." I could stop from chuckling at the picture, we stood together in compatible silence until she cleared her throat.

"Laurent...hes n-"

"Hes your mate, I get it. Don't worry I'm not gonna try anything, not that you could blame me if I did. I've always had a thing for blondes, particularly ones with-"

"Hes not my mate" I closed my mouth when she interrupted me, I didn't know how to respond to that, while one side of me was throwing a "go me" party, the other was cursing the fact that our allegiances were split between people that would never get on, much less agree on something.

"Why didn't you call out to the Fae, shes probably at home right now and you could be too if you'd only-"

"Thats irrelevant-"

"No its not-"

"Yes it is-"

"Its a simple fucking question"

"And I'm telling you to drop it"

"Who are you my mother coming back to haunt me?"

"No I'm your goddamn mate!" _Shit._

**Victoria's POV.**

I was standing just outside the mansion with Bella, Tanya, Jasper, Emmett and Maria who had decided to accompany us home, for unknown reasons, personally I think it had something to do with Jasper. Indecision ruled me, I knew I should already be in there taking my mate into my arms like I longed to do, but something was holding me back, that same something was telling me to go out and kill, it wasn't all consuming but it was strong enough that I doubted my ability to be the loving mate that Esme needed right now. On the way home Bella had told me what had happened, the Ira sanguinem was a state that few vampires ever experienced even fewer ever remembered their deeds while they were in that state of pure animal instinct, they became mindless, easily angered, their appetites for blood and for sex were raised considerably, and once you'd gone into the blood rage, some part of you was always on the edge, ready to fall into the uncontrolable state and it was irreversable. All things considered I was very lucky, the first time one fell into the rage it could last from any where between a day and a century.

"If looks could kill the house would be crumbling by now" Bella commented crossing her arms over her breasts.

"If you want to be with Rose I'm not stopping you" i said softly keeping my eyes on the white marble.

"If I walk into that house without you, I will have to watch as Esme's face becomes clouded with misery. So no thanks I'll wait for you to be ready, even if it takes all night"

"Bella is right, I can't take it when I see mom like that" Emmett agreed. _Your mate needs you, you pillock now get your ass in there, _I smirked at my own musings before heading into the house. When I was just outside the closed door to the family room, I had to swallow the lump in my throat, while preparing myself for the worst. I placed my hand on the door knob and pushed the heavy oak door open, slipping into the room, I found Rose looking very pregnant and sitting on the sturdy coffee table glaring at a shocked looking Jane, Alice was was on the other side of Jane, while scanning the laptop screen, Seth had his arm wrapped around Alec's shoulders and the two were murmuring to each other gently, Laurent was nowhere to be seen as usual, and Kate was also absent. Finally my eyes settled over by the windowsill, my beautiful mate was sat on the windowsill her black eyes were glazed over, her knees were drawn up to her chest and her arms were wrapped around them, I didn't say anything to my family members as I walked over to my mate, when I got closer her nostrils flared and her eyes suddenly met mine, I watched as the coal black orbs suddenly regained their golden brown hue and her lips parted slightly. I dropped to my knees beside her, I didn't want to scare her and I didn't know whether or not she'd let me touch her. Everyone in the room had stopped their conversations, but I didn't care that they were watching, all that mattered was making my mate feel safe again. A low mewling sound came out Esme's mouth, the sound broke my heart, it was filled with fear and shame, did she really think I blamed her for what that bastard had done to her, fuck I wished I'd prolonged his death now, made it so much more painful. Suddenly she reached out hesitantly, when I felt her hand stop mere inches away from my face I leaned into the touch, unconsciously purring at the connection, before my eyes drifted closed I could see a soft smile cross her face.

"You think there going to be okay?" I heard Alice ask quietly behind me.

"They'll be fine eventually, now lets give them some privacy" Bella said in a hushed tone.

"Yeah, we need to have a little show and tell anyway"

"What do you mean?"

"Well Jacob has kinda runaway"

"Great"

**TBC. . . **

**AN: What did you think, cause I personally thought it was missing something or maybe it was the lack of drama, I don't know but I really need your opinion on it. Anyway the next update will be up by next Wednesday or until I figure out how many babies I'm going to give Rose, right now I'm thinking twins, what do you think?. Til then.**


	22. Chapter 22

Title: Coming Home.

Pairings: Bella/Rosalie, Leah/Alice, Esme/Victoria.

Rating: M

Disclaimer: Nothing is mine, it all belongs to Stephanie Meyer.

Summary: The Cullens left in New Moon, Victoria changed Bella, together along with Jacob, Seth, and Leah they've lived in Forks for over a century. What happens when the Cullens come back.

**AN: I'm soooooo sorry its late but I've been ill, yep I was annoyed as well. Anyways I just wanna thank you all for the feed back it was a big help. Now then this chapter is more of a filler chapter, but I promise things will pick up again. Now then on with the update. **

**Chapter Twenty Two, Bella's POV.**

"I still don't see why she wanted to stay there" I growled to Tanya, when we went to rescue Victoria we'd been standing outside the cabin, but when I'd seen her, she'd mouthed that we should leave her there, but why?.

"Bella if theres one thing that I still don't understand about my sister her need to go it alone at times. I mean once she left the country and we didn't see her for nearly ten years" Tanya stated softly while Kate nodded.

"But still-"

"Is it true you found Irina?" Laurent exclaimed all but running into the dining room.

"Where the hell have you been? never mindI don't want to know. Yes we found Irina but shes decided that she wants to stay down in-" I stopped when I felt someone kick my shin under the table, the sting that accompanied it almost provoked me to hiss, until Tanya sent me a pointed look, clearly she didn't want Laurent to know where Irina was.

"Where is she?" Laurent asked desperately, I almost told him until I caught the look on Tanya's face, I really didn't fancy getting kicked again even if I did feel some sympathy for Laurent.

"You know I think she went over to, ah-" I gestured for Tanya to answer, Tanya scowled at me until Laurent looked at her and she smiled widely.

"Um maybe Europe?" Tanya said hesitantly earning her a furious growl from Laurent before the Frenchman walked out the room.

"Thanks for that" Tanya drawled sarcastically.

"You're lucky I didn't kick you back" I smirked at her dumbfounded expression.

"Call it even?"

"Yeah why not" I waved my hand dismissively before looking at Alice, the pixie had her arms folded on the table with her head resting on top.

"So what did you want to talk about again?" I asked my sister while leaning back in my chair, to be honest I was a little annoyed that while Rose was upstairs probably sleeping by now while I was stuck down here listening to Tanya and Alice talking about mundane issues seriously couldn't this have waited until morning, as much as I loved them they weren't Rosalie and right now all I wanted to do was curl up with my mate, not plan on how we're going to keep Laurent from chasing after Irina.

"Uh Jacob?" Alice offered, I winced how could I have forgotten about the shifter that was like a brother to me.

"Right well, my guess is that cause he was going into heat soon he decided to leave before he pounces on Jane-" I stated my thoughts willingly, when everyone nodded I found myself wondering whether or not I should try to find him "-Speaking of Jane, where is she?" I hadn't seen the little demon since we got home.

"I think she went upstairs" Emmett answered me, I made a mental note to check in on her before I went to Rose.

"Right I think I better talk to her, but as far as Jake goes he'll come back when hes ready" I stood up and headed up stairs to Jake and Jane's room, well the room that Jane spent most of her time in, I didn't think it really classified as Jacob _and _Jane's room yet. I knocked on the door twice and waited patiently, when there wasn't a response I knocked again this time a little more forcefully, of all the things that I could be doing right now, I was stuck battering on the demon's door.

"Jane would you open the fucking door already, I'm not in the mood for this" Of course I could just force my way into the room but I hated it when people did it to me so I was reluctant to do so to someone else, suddenly the door swung open to reveal the tiny blonde, her face was devoid of all emotion as per usual, why Jake felt he had to leave to protect her was really beyond me though I suppose if the situation was reversed I do the same thing.

"What do you want" I ignored the hostility in her voice, I was kinda getting used to it after all she'd been off with me ever since she'd found out about Jacob's infatuation with me even if it did still irk me a little, maybe she'd get over it in time.

"I just want to talk" She scowled before walking back into the room, I followed and closed the door behind me.

"Talk about what?"

"Jake" Her scowl deepened as though she didn't like me saying his name, well that was just too bad cause I wasn't leaving until she saw the bigger picture, or I tired of her lack of emotion towards Jake that was a very real possibility.

"What about him?" She asked sitting down on the bed and glancing at me, I leaned back against the door and crossed my arms over my breasts.

"Why he left, because I don't think you appreciate what he did for you" I answered honestly in a calm tone.

"He chose to leave it had nothing to do with me"

"The hell it didn't, see this is the shit I'm talking about, he left because he thought he'd hurt you and you're acting as though you don't even care. Damn it Jane hes fighting a millennia of instinct just to prove how much he loves you, the least you could do is act like he means something to you"

"He is important to me, I'm just not sure how to show it" Okay that caught me off guard, what did she mean?.

"You gonna have to elaborate for me Jane"

"You guys are all so open about your feelings, and I'm used to not feeling anything or if I do I just hide it really well, its a centuries old habit" I nodded when her words registered with me, I guess she had a point, but Jacob was her mate she could at least show him some indifference even if she remained distant with the rest of us.

"I get that Jane, I really do but when Jake comes back, would you just try to show a little more feeling, and its not like you have to do it in front of everyone" I turned on my heel and opened the door.

"Bella" I looked over my shoulder to find Jane with her head lowered and she was twisting her hands together nervously.

"Yeah Jane?"

"When do you think he'll come back?"

"Mating heat lasts a month" I stated softly watching as her shoulders slumped in disappointment or relief?, I couldn't really tell but if I found out it was the latter, I was gonna be pissed.

"See you tomorrow" I closed the door behind me and headed down the hall when I was just outside our bedroom door the light scent of arousal hit me with the force of a sledge hammer, I eagerly pushed the door open the sight that met my eyes was almost enough to make me cum, Rosalie was on her back on our bed, breasts swollen and her nipples were hard, her thighs were open, the slender fingers of one hand were moving desperately over the slick folds of her pussy while the other hand was resting on her rounded stomach, her fingers were slid down the narrow slit and slowly, so slowly I was nearly panting by the time she pushed two fingers into her wet cunt, the wanton moan that left her lips as a result ghosted over my suddenly burning skin. My eyes fluttered closed when my clit started throbbing with awareness, it was like my body knew its mate was near and suddenly wanted nothing more than to please her.

"You should see how beautiful you look right now" Her eyes flew open when I spoke, she groaned loudly and bit her lower lip before she pumped her fingers faster when our eyes met, the sounds of her pussy greedily sucking at her fingers and the needy moans leaving her throat was steadily making my own cunt glisten. I steep further into the room and closed the door with a little more force than was strictly necessary but right now I couldn't bring myself to care, not when I could feel arousal burning through my body and tightening my clit, I was desperate to possess and be possessed. I hastily stripped out my clothes, wincing when the material caressed my sensitized flesh, I walked across the room smirking when she plunged her fingers inside her pussy even harder, the sight of her fucking herself was the hottest thing I'd seen in my life. I climbed onto the bed and caught her wrist loving the way she whimpered in protest, I slowly pulled her fingers free of her dripping pussy our eyes locked together when I pulled her wrist up, she was panting when I sucked her fingers inside my mouth, her taste was like ambrosia of the gods, so sweet and addictive. I swirled my tongue over her slender fingers until she jerked her hand back and pulled me down to her, I opened my mouth for her, feeling her tongue push past mine my moan echoed through our bedroom before I met her tongue with my own, our kiss was slow and gentle even as she began to claw at my shoulders and arch her hips up to me.

"Bella! Caius is on the phone" Alice suddenly yelled son of a bitch he has bad timing I thought pulling away from Rose reluctantly. "Hurry back" "If this isn't important I'm gonna kill him" I sighed and kissed her lips gently before climbing off the bed and heading over to the walk in closet, I grabbed my favourite light blue silk robe and pulled it on, before striding out our bedroom, I didn't trust myself to look at Rose, one look and Caius was going to have to wait.

**Heidi's POV.**

"By the gods give me the strength not to kill him" I growled while watching the news, indeed there was a missing child, but this wasn't just any child she was barely five years old. At this point in time I was used to Demetri's despicable acts, but this was an all time low, I mean a goddamn child little more than a baby and he'd killed her.

"Calm yourself" Chelsea muttered quietly from beside me on the couch, how could she expect me to clam down, Demetri had murdered an innocent child and she was fucking telling me to calm down. I knew as a member of the Volturi I was expected to be without feeling save loyalty, but this was truly disgusting.

"How can you ask that of me?" I demanded just as quietly as she had.

"Because if he sees this reaction in you, he will tell the masters and then where will you be?"

"Oh fuck the masters, I'm tired of taking their orders anyway"

"Heidi thats enough"

"ooooh what are Mommy and daughter fighting over this time" I had to bite my tongue so I didn't hiss something that was going to get me in trouble when I heard Demetri.

"Its none of your business Demetri" Chelsea answered with and unreadable expression and tone of voice. Demetri chuckled to himself before dropping into the chair next to us, lifting his boots up and placing them on he coffee table he was the image of satisfaction and that made me want to hit him. He had always irritated the hell out of me but thanks to Chelsea and Corin and their particular gifts I had never really acted upon my violent impulses, but now the urge to let loose was almost undeniable, even though I couldn't define why this had happened all of a sudden. We all lapsed into a some-what uncomfortable silence, or at least I though it was uncomfortable, Demetri was oblivious and Chelsea kept stealing glances at both of us, it was like she was expecting me to go off on one and while I couldn't blame her, I did have a bit of a reputation for being a little hot headed at times, but come on I was half Italian and half German its a mix doomed for occasionally volatile behaviour. I needed some space, maybe it would improve my mood, I stood up and sauntered out the room, after pulling a side door open and slipping through it I found myself looking down a long stone corridor, at the end there was a set of French double doors that lead to the bedroom Chelsea had adopted as her own, to the left was Felix's, opposite his was Demetri's and mine was a few metres down from Felix's, and opposite mine was the cell where Irina was kept. After she'd come out and told me that she was my mate, I winced when I thought of how I'd handled the "I'm your mate" revelation, but honestly did she expect me to pounce on her?, well granted I'd already had some some pretty X-rated fantasies but this mating shit was for life, and while I was all for the physical aspect the emotional commitment was something else entirely, my longest relationship lasted about five days and thats only because we were in bed for said five days, maybe I should talk to Chelsea about this, the other vampire was like a mother to me, but then when you were well over three thousand and two hundred years old I guess the mothering instinct just came naturally to you, not that I'd have any idea about that seeing as I was only six hundred, a fledgling when compared to the rest of the guard. I still found myself idolising Chelsea from time to time, minus the masters she was he oldest person in Volterra and had lifetimes of experience in all manner of things. Glancing at the door to Irina's cell, I decided that a little chat with Chelsea was defiantly called for, I just needed some advice on the whole committing yourself to one person thing, monogamy is not my policy so maybe I also needed some tips on how to be a good mate, Irina was over a thousand years old which meant that she must have some expectations and the whipped little mate in me wanted to please her, it was funny how I had only known her for a few days and already I was making compromises and changes in my life.

"Heidi are you out there?" Irina's heavenly voice drifted out of the cell acting as a silent hand to caress my senses, which as corny as it sounded was the truth, great I'm turning into one of those "I'm mated and I'm happy about it vampires", there goes my reputation for being a total player. I scowled while walking towards the wooden door and pushing it open, illuminating the otherwise dark cell.

"Whats wrong?" I found myself asking the pale blonde, who was tilting her head and looking up at me intently, it was kind of unnerving.

"That should be my line, you were standing out there for quite some time" The concerned frown that crossed her face made her look strikingly beautiful, well at least fate hadn't saddled me with a self centred mate.

"I was merely debating what I should change my pen name to-" I lied smoothly, the confused look on her face was unbelievably cute "-Well I can't go around with a name like 'born to be wild' now can I , cause you have probably going to develop this whole domineering personality when it comes to your mate" Where the hell did that come from?, I admit that was one of my deepest inner fears, that I'd be forced to change completely to satisfy her and if she wanted docile and adoring she was going to have to look else where, I thought even as the animal in me growled at the mere idea of leaving her but I wasn't the type to play house wife.

"Actually you could behave like a total harlot and I wouldn't really care so long as you have a look but don't touch policy-" Was she trying to imply something I found myself wondering maybe I should be insulted "-Look what I'm trying to say is that, I'll accept you for how you are if you do the same for me"

"Give me a for instance"

"Well half the time I don't take other people's thoughts or feelings into account, I can be insanely jealous sometimes and most people I know would summarise me as being an ignorant bitch"

"Why would they do that?" I was genuinely perplexed as to why anyone would ever think of Irina as a bitch, granted I hadn't known her long and undoubtedly we would have explosive arguments and then some Earth shattering make up sex because well I'm Heidi Cassari nee Volturi, thats just what I do but why would anyone think of Irina as anything less than glorious was beyond me.

"Well I am sometimes" Irina admitted.

"Well you're gonna have to cut that shit out most fucking ricky-tick, cause if anyone is being the bitch in this..._relationship, _its me"

"Honey you're going to have to fight me for the title" The images that came to mind were probably illegal in most states, but I couldn't resist a challenge.

"What right now?, I don't think we've got the time"

"We've got all the time in the world" The raw emotion was warning enough that I was walking into a mine field but some how with her nearby, it just felt right.

**Jacob's POV.**

I was back at the still fully furnished house in Forks, laying on my bed in my old room, naked and so fucking aroused my dick actually hurt and all I could think about was Jane, I was desperate for her only she could relieve the painful ache in my balls, just the thought of her beneath me had my cock flexing in hunger, the silky pre-cum seeping from the tip as my balls tightened in need, I glance down the line of my naked body seeing my thick cock stretching up my abdomen. The ten inch shaft was heavily veined and the flared tip was a light shade of violet, my wolf was howling for me to return to Jane so I could thrust my cock inside her tight pussy, and she would be tight. So exquisitely tight that I'd need to take my time preparing her to take my cock. I groaned at the thought, my mate was so delicate, so dainty that the though of fucking her had my cock pulsing in need, I moved my hand down to my straining erection, gripping it, spreading the natural lubrication over my sensitive shaft as I imagined pushing into Jane's snug cunt, I moaned, as tight as her pussy would be it'd be nothing compared to her asshole, at the peak of the mating heat when my instincts had all but taken over my body would be begging to know that sweet entrance. I tightened my hold on my cock as I stroked slowly over the shaft, squeezing it, mimicking the tight grip I knew I would've found in Jane's pussy. I would've fucked her slow and easy to begin with, work my cock into her sheath as she trembled and shook beneath me, her pussy would convulse as it strained to take my length. I shuddered at the thought as I stroked my dick my hips and thighs tightening at the tension in my body, she would scream, I knew she would as I parted her inner muscles. My cock plunged forcibly through the tight grip of my fingers as my hips jerked involuntarily as I thought about how she'd respond if I slowly pushed inside her, I'd stare into her eyes while her inner muscles surrounding my cock would grip my dick like a silken glove, My hand tightened and I began to stroked my cock even harder, picking up the pace as I imagined her beneath me, her creamy legs splayed wide as I watched my cock impale her. She would be so slick with her juices and the sounds of the moist thrusts would fill my senses, the sight of her cream soaking my cock would make me insane to fill her with my seed, just like I did already. I'd hold her thighs open and watch my cock pumping in and out until she convulsed around me, her climax that would trigger my own, I'd bury my shaft inside her making her take every drop of my seed while pleasure whipped through my body. Suddenly I felt my body begin to shake as my hot seed shot from my cock splattering along my abdomen and to my chest, my hips were were jerking and my eyes were clenched shut while wave after wave of ecstasy tore through me. I opened my eyes and continued to pant, as the urge to fuck became undeniable and my cock stayed hard even with the release I had just given myself, I started stroking my thick erection again, moaning at the almost painful sensitivity of my cock, this was going to be one hell of a long month without my beloved.

**Victoria's POV.**

Pain was such an intricate feeling, sometimes it was bearable, others it was so searing it brought you to your knees, watching my mate move away from me with the scent of fear clinging to her was the latter, no it trumped that, watching her eyes darken with instinctive fear and the frightened whimper that left her throat when I reached out to comfort her was pure agony, my own personal brand of torture. After the kids had left us alone downstairs I had simply basked in the primal pleasure of having my other half so close to me, in my opinion it was what I thought heaven would feel like, but as soon as we came upstairs to our room and I'd tried to draw her into my arms she'd stiffened and retreated. I understood that she was hurting right now, the shock alone would drive someone insane, but how was I supposed to comfort her if she wouldn't let me get anywhere near her, maybe I could attempt going back to the way things were before, a sense of normalcy, but that seemed heartless and cruel. Obviously physically comforting her was out so what was I left with, it dawned on me all of a sudden, I was going to have to comfort her with words, which had never been my strong suit over the years but it was going to have to do. I reached up and shut the shower off, I had decided to shower when Esme had looked at me with so much misery I'd thought my un-beating heart was being ripped out my chest, I opened the shower door and stepped out, I grabbed a cream coloured towel and wrapped it around me, here goes nothing, I thought opening the bathroom door and slipping into our bedroom. I found Esme sat on the edge of the bed shaking softly, she looked so fragile like that, head lowered letting her caramel coloured hair hide her face from my view, her arms were crossed over her mid-section with her elbows resting on her knees. I slowly walked over to the bed and sat down near her, registering the way she stiffened when my weight settled on the mattress.

"Baby, will you let me hold you?-" Her head shot up and I found myself getting lost her her jet black eyes, when she shifted closer to me, I sighed in relief when she pressed against my side, I cautiously wrapped my arm around her shoulders and waited for her to move closer to me, it was the hardest thing I've ever had to do all I wanted to do was haul her into my arms and never let go but I had to let her control the pace of this. When she was pressed against my side I nuzzled the top of her head trying to get her to relax, her body was still tense in my arms "-I'm not gonna let anyone hurt you again" I promised and I meant it, I'd give my life to make sure she was safe and happy.

"Thats what...he said" I got the feeling I wasn't going to like this, whatever _this_ was.

"I was married when I was human, he wasn't exactly a...nice man." She sniffed loudly , I swallowed the rising lump in my throat and stroked her back gently.

"I mean it. Never again my love" I pressed a kiss to the top of her head lovingly even as I was filled with a sense of helplessness, but if it was the last thing I did I would make her feel safe and secure again.

**Caius's POV.**

"This had better be a life and fucking death decision cause otherwise I will hunt you to the ends of the Earth and you will not like me when I find you" Was Bella's greeting when Tanya finally handed over the receiver to the young Fae, had I interrupted something.

"Well hello to you too" I answered her back not really sure how to respond when aggression was leaking from every syllable she spoke.

"Stop beating around the bush just tell me what you want to I can get back to Rose" Shit had I just cock blocked her?, no wonder she was pissed.

"All right well Marcus wishes to speak with you about a lot of things"

"Yeah, fine, whatever, set a date with Tanya, bye" I heard a rustling over the other line and finally Tanya came back on.

"Damn Gramps, I've never seen someone move so fast, you didn't try to have phone sex with her did you?" I could almost hear the amused smirk on her face.

"I'm afraid not Tanya, now then I assume you heard her"

"Uh huh, my lady and mistress has spoken theref- oh stop growling Jasper its beginning to irritate me- anyway hows day after next, suit you?"

"Should be perfect, although you'll be dealing with Marcus alone, it would cause Aro to become suspicious if we both left."

"Okay I'll put it into her diary, you know I would've made a damn fine receptionist" I chucked at her musings.

"What gives you that impression?" I inquired softly.

"Well I look absolutely fabulous in pencil skirts, technology is like my best friend, I have awesome people skills-"

"You're so modest" I teased hearing her laugh breezily over the line.

"Gramps that was being modest" I grinned widely feeling unbelievably fond of the other vampire.

"Of course it was, now I suppose I should get going" I sighed when I caught Aro's scent just outside the door, I had decided to get a phone installed in my chambers when I had nearly been caught talking to Tanya the last time.

"Is Aro there?" Tanya's asked barely above a whisper.

"Close enough-" I answered as my door opened to reveal non-other than Aro himself, his eyes narrowed on the phone in my hand "-Good bye" I hastily ended the call before Tanya could reply.

"Who was that?" The accusation in his voice was unmistakable and he suspicion in his eyes only added to my conclusion, he knew I was going to betray him, he wouldn't act upon his assumptions because of his lack of proof, but I knew I was going to have to be careful from now on even more so than before.

"An old friend" The half-truth fell easily from my lips while he pursed his and crossed his arms.

"Which one?" I had a feeling that this wasn't going to end very well.

"You remember Nikolai Rene?" I asked naming the ancient Frenchman that was a strict vampire purist meaning he was as devoted to upholding our laws as any other member of the Volturi.

"Vividly"

"Well I was merely inquiring whether or not he would be paying us a visit when he returns to Europe" I lied smoothly.

"Well is he?"

"He said he'd get back to me"

"Well let me know what his decision is" Aro turned his back on me and walked back out my room, when I heard his footsteps echoing down the hall, I sighed in relief, these close calls were getting more and more frequent, I didn't know how long it would be until I was eventually caught out.

**Laurent's POV.**

They were hiding something from me I just knew it, but why, had I done something to offend them or had they found Irina and she'd asked them not to tell me, it was the kind of thing she'd do, it seemed that no matter what I did I was always disappointing her even though she never let slip what her expectations were, but I wasn't about to give up, I couldn't all my life I've wanted my mate, but why didn't she return my feelings?, and why did she insist on ignoring me for the most part.

"Hey buddy" Emmett dropped into the empty space next to me on the couch.

"Hey" I greeted absently.

"So me and Kate were wondering if you wanted to come hunting with us"

"No thank you, I went hunting several days ago" I answered politely Emmett nodded before looking over at the blank TV.

"You wanna play on the X-box?" I rolled my eyes at the younger vampires attempts at socialising, I did appreciate it but I just wasn't in the mood to return the favour.

"Nah, I good"

"Well how about a movie, I'm pretty sure we've got-"

"Emmett I just really want to be on my own right now" Emmett fell silent and shifted on the couch but he didn't leave which I found somewhat irritating, hadn't I just said I wanted to be alone.

"If you'll excuse me" I stood up and walked out the room heading into the kitchen where I found Alec attempting to cook for Seth, the shifter was sat on the counter beside him.

"Oh hey Laurent how are you holding up?" Seth asked with a half smile though I could see the sympathy in his dark eyes, was everyone discussing Irina's lack of interest in me behind my back or was I just being paranoid.

"Perfectly fine" I gritted my teeth so I sounded relatively civil after all they were trying to be comforting Seth nodded before refocusing on Alec.

"Oh hey do you want to go hunting or...What?" Seth exclaimed when I glared at him, what was going on were they all in on something.

"Why does everyone keep asking me to do stuff with them" I asked pretty sure that if anyone was going to break it was Seth, though shouldn't he have gone into the mating heat yet?, weird.

"Cause you spend next to no time with us and well we're all concerned about you"

"Well don't be, I'll be fine just as soon as Irina realises that we are meant to be together" With that said I walked out the kitchen, along the hallway and out the door deciding to hunt after all.

**Rosalie's POV.**

"Mmm Bella just like that babe" I moaned while Bella cupped my aching breasts in her palms, I was straddling my mates hips while she took her time gripping one of my hard nipples between two fingers, I breathed in sharply at the sting of pleasure that pulled a gasp from my lips. Bella smiled and began twisting and pulling my nipple while her other hand left my breast and slid to my thigh, she drew lazy circles before her hand slid up to the bare flesh of my wet pussy, I shuddered when I felt her push her fingers though the narrow slit of my pussy lips, she stroked around my swollen clit, feeling the piercing lust that shuddered through my body at the touch. My inner lips were swollen and sensitised from my arousal. My juices coated them heavily allowing Bella's fingers to slide easily between them until they met the entrance to my quivering pussy.

"Oh God!" I couldn't stop the cry as she pushed two fingers inside me. My pussy gushed at the pleasure, my inner muscles clamping down on her fingers, begging for more. The wash of sensations was almost agonizing. I tilted my hips forwards while the muscles of my thighs tightened as the need for release was becoming torturous, but she refused to fuck me any faster even as I heard myself whimpering in need. Bella smirked before pulling her fingers back slowly, I couldn't resist the urge to impale myself on them, the resounding cry that left my throat would've shocked me if she hadn't chosen that moment to press the heel of her palm into my swollen clit intensifying the lustful pressure, my cunt quivered when Bella pushed her fingers into the sweltering depths of my pussy.

"Bella if you don't fuck me harder I'm gonna...ugh!" My back arched and I threw my head back when her fingers slid back into me with a smooth forceful plunge. I was shuddering my orgasm was just out of reach. I moved against her haring myself moan as she finally fucked into me with hard and fast strokes until the boiling pressure that had been building finally reached its peak, I wailed as my my orgasm shuddered through me over and over again, my pussy clenched on her thrusting fingers, when she growled beneath me. I was distantly aware of her gently turning me so I was sprawled out on our bed on my back with her next to me.

"You know I never woulda taken you for a screamer" She purred, I arched an eyebrow at her while I mulled over how I should respond to that, Mmm maybe I should play the insulted pregnant woman, now that could be fun.

"Because I'm the ice queen?" I almost smiled when she winced.

"That came out wrong, what I meant was-"

"Babe shut up and hold me" She clamped her lips shut and placed her warm hand over my rounded stomach while dropping her head to my shoulder, I wrapped my arms around her shoulders.

"You think they can hear us?" She asked gently.

"After that? I really hope not-" I grimaced when I thought about my baby hearing us have sex, I frowned suddenly when I recalled what she'd just said "-What do you mean 'they'?"

"Well we don't know whether its a girl or a boy, so I figured I say 'them', cause it sounds really callous to me" For the first time since finding out I was pregnant I found myself wondering what it would be like if we had twins or more, it was going to be hard enough trying to protect one of them against all the threats out there, and what if-

"You're thinking too hard" I pressed a kiss to Bella's forehead when she jerked me out of my disastrous thoughts.

"You're right. So did you find Irina?" I know Bella had been worrying about the other blonde ever since Irina had dropped off the face of the Earth.

"Yeah actually I did, she wanted to stay with them" I could hear the confusion in her voice.

"Well thats Irina for you, when she gets an idea in her head its all 'I'm getting what I want no matter who I have to fuck over so I'll see ya later'"

"I kinda respect her for that" The initial pang of jealousy I felt was crushed when I felt a fluttering sensation in my abdomen, it was amazing to feel my child moving within me. Bella obviously thought so too because she slid down our bed and nuzzled my stomach, right where our baby was kicking, her low purring filled our bedroom I began to stroke her long lustrous hair even as I felt my eye lids grow heavy. Right before sleep claimed me I heard Bella humming softly.

**Jane's POV.**

Being without Jacob was...distracting?...painful?...lonely?, I didn't even know what the word was to describe the emotion filling me, brilliant wasn't it?. Jesus I was going to have to spend some time with Bella, maybe she could show me how to express my emotions, after all she did care about Jacob, almost as much as I did. I was determined to show Jacob what he meant to me, by the time he got back I would be ready to be the mate he needed, it was long over due that I become a little more approachable.

"Sister?" I glanced at the door from my place on mine and Jacob's bed and found Alec hovering in the doorway.

"Hey" I greeted gently, Alec was the only one I was truly at ease with, I could be myself and I didn't have to worry about how he'd react. Once Alec had come into the room and closed the door behind him, he approached me slowly and sat on the edge of the bed, I shifted down the bed so I was sat next to him.

"You remember what day it is?" Alec asked wringing his hands together nervously.

"How could I possibly forget?" I retorted reaching into the night stand and pulling out a large square box from Tiffany's, it had been insanely difficult to get away from Jacob long enough to buy it almost three days ago.

"Happy birthday Brother" I handed the box over to Alec and watched as my brother opened it to reveal a thick white gold chain with gold square pendant that would rest in between his collarbones, the pendant had our old family crest on it, though it was slightly modified so it had an eagle taking flight instead of an owl.

"Its beautiful sister, thank you. Though I fear we think to much alike" We shared a smile before he reached into the inner pock of his suit jacket and pulled out a slender rectangular box. I took the box when he held it out to me and opened it carefully, inside was an identical necklace to the one I had bought him the only difference being the chain was thinner, I chuckled softly trust us to pick out the same things.

"'Think alike', we're practically one and the same" I smirked when he nodded in agreement.

"Come on turn around, let me see how this looks" I turned and gathered my hair holding it off the nape of my neck while he lifted the necklace over my head and did the clasp up, I turned to face him and let my hair drop to my flow around my shoulders.

"You look stunning, as always" I smiled in thanks before indicating he should turn, I picked up his necklace and quickly slipped it on for him, when he turned I pursed my lips and pretended to think a moment.

"Mmm you'll do, I suppose-" laughing at his look of mock insult "-No truly brother, it looks good on you"

"Yes I think its safe to say that _we _have excellent taste" We sat in compatible silence for ages.

"Shouldn't you be getting back to Seth" I asked after a while.

"Seth hasn't gone into heat _yet, _so I was actually wondering if you wanted to watch a film with me" Alec looked at me hopefully, I could never say no to my brother and my facial expression must have mirrored my thoughts because he grinned and headed over to the TV, hopefully he'd pick something gory, I wasn't in the mood for romance.

**TBC. . .**

**AN: Okay so I the next chapter Marcus comes on the scene, Seth **_**finally**_** goes into heat, Bella and Rose talk baby names and Edward reappears, such a joy isn't it. ****Oh and what would you like to see happen to Laurent, cause I have a few ideas but I would love to get your input first. The next chapter will be up in six days, 'till then.**


	23. Chapter 23

Title: Coming Home.

Pairings: Bella/Rosalie, Leah/Alice, Esme/Victoria.

Rating: M

Disclaimer: Nothing is mine, it all belongs to Stephanie Meyer.

Summary: The Cullens left in New Moon, Victoria changed Bella, together along with Jacob, Seth, and Leah they've lived in Forks for over a century. What happens when the Cullens come back.

**AN: Thanks for the awesome reviews guys, they mean a lot and I know I said I'd have it up on Thursday but I have kinda had to deal with some personal crap, and thats all Imma say on that. Now then some of you guys were wondering about the Laurent/Irina/Heidi thing, well I will be explaining in this chapter, now that, thats out of the way on with the update I hope you enjoy.**

**Chapter twenty three, Tanya's POV.**

"Hello, Denali estate, how can I help you?" I don't care what Caius says I would've made a damn fine receptionist, I smirked at my own thoughts until I got a load of who was on the other line.

"Damn sis when did you get your degree in servitude" Irina drawled slowly.

"Okay sister start explaining"

"Well I kinda wanted to ask you about something"

"Wait you're asking for something, well I be damn-"

"Tanya according to my...according to Heidi I've only got a few minutes, so would you shut up"

"Hey I'm still the leader of this coven...well at least I think I am, though Bella is defiantly a-"

"Jeez Tan. Would you let me talk?"

"Hit me"

"Well I've found my mate"

"Yeah I know Laurent has been going nuts over here and you still haven't explained why you-"

"Its not Laurent, thats what I wanted to talk about. I'm mated to Heidi, I know it instinctively, the connection its there. So I was wondering have you ever heard of anything like this happening before"

"Ummm, personally, no, but I could call Eleazar, you know hes been on holiday for an insane amount of time, and its-"

"Hold on a second" There was a shuffling over the other line until I heard someone else begin to speak.

"Tanya?" The female voice on the other line was low and seductive, my sister was one lucky vampire I didn't even have to see this woman to know she was hot.

"And you are?"

"Heidi Volturi, now listen closely because I'm not really into repeating myself, the only time it will be safe to call your sister is at sun down, think you can call your brother by then"

"You know you sound like one of those dudes of bad thriller movies, you know the ones I'm taking about, phone booth, trench coat and hat, creepy voice on the other line, seriously you gotta work on that-" I grinned widely when I heard an irritated growl on the other line, and then there was some more shuffling "-So why is it only safe to call you at sun down" I asked Irina.

"Cause Heidi managed to convince the others to let me out my cell for a couple hours each day, and I'm only allowed in her room, so you think Eleazar knows whats up?"

"Yeah thats my sister, getting her mack on even when theres-"

"TANYA!"

"Sorry, come on Ri, its Eleazar the man is an egghead"

"I hope you're right"

"So when are you coming back"

"When I've consummated my mating"

"Thats my girl, you go get your woman and make sure she can't walk in the morning"

"Tanya do you ever stop thinking about your crotch?"

"Is that a trick question?"

"Wha...never mind, the only reason I'm not coming back until I've mated with her, is I want my scent on her when I introduce her to the family and to...Laurent, that way it bypasses all the questions and Laurent will have no choice but to accept the fact that I don't want him"

"I don't know Ri, he seems determined to make you see sense"

"Well _you_ better make _him_ see sense cause if he tries something with me now, I'll do more than reject him and I grantee it will hurt, now I gotta go"

"You da the boss, I'll call you later" Then the line went dead, I started at the cherry wood that covered the wall in front of me for a moment before replacing the receiver on its cradle and stalking into the family room, where Emmett, Kate, Jasper and Seth were laid out on the couches watching ancient re-runs of NCIS, yeah go figure apparently Emmett had a thing for Ziva and Kate liked Tony.

"So you gonna call him?" Jasper asked me when I crawled into his lap and tucked my head under his chin.

"Its rude to eavesdrop, ya know" I grumbled back to him.

"I couldn't help myself, now do you want me to do it"

"I'll call him after the show"

"Fine"

**Bella's POV.**

I loved watching Rose sleep, shes absolutely stunning and it was easier to openly stare at her when she was asleep and just take in her beauty, it was times like this I just couldn't believe she was mine, she could have any vampire or human she wanted and yet she chose me, and the fact that we were having a baby just made it that much more amazing.

"You know I can _feel _you watching me" I smiled when I saw her open her eyes and peer up at me, before closing her eyes again.

"Sorry" I reached out and stroked the side of her face lovingly.

"Sure ya are and I'm Napoleon" She chuckled before turning over on her back and stretched, it was adorable like watching a kitten, she rested her hands on her stomach and gently drew circles on the baby bump, her eyes were glowing with happiness.

"Oh goodie you're awake, now then are you getting a baby boy or a baby girl vibe" Alice purred appearing out of nowhere holding two thick books in each hand.

"Are those what I think they are?" I asked when Alice crawled onto the bottom of our bed and leaned against the foot-board.

"Those cute little baby name book, things" I nodded when she glanced at me.

"Yeah"

"Uh huh, now lets start with A's" Alice promptly flipped to the first page.

"Is there any point in interrupting her?" I asked Rose quietly, my blonde mate was now sat up in bed and shaking her head slowly while looking at Alice.

"Okay what about Amelia?" nice enough but its a little, I don't know English?.

"Next" Rosalie said simply.

"Ava?"

"Nada"

"Alexander?"

"Iffy"

"Anya?"

"Mmm, maybe" If I left the room would they even notice, I found myself wondering as they continued.

"Aaron?"

"Umm, I'll think about it"

"Anastasia"

"Too Russian"

"Whats too Russian, nothing can be too Russian" Kate walked into the room with a wide smile plastered to her face.

"Baby names" I answered the blonde while she walked around the other side of the bed and climbed onto it next to Alice. After Alice had gone through all the A's she deemed worthy of her niece or nephew she whirled into the B's and I actually think I might have a the supernatural equivalent of a headache or maybe I just needed to feed, it had been a while though feeding on Rose while she was pregnant was defiantly out, there was no way in hell I was endangering the life of my child just to satisfy my needs, that left my good 'ole diet of animal blood though the last time I'd ended up vomiting everywhere, but what other choice did I have.

"I'll be back in a few hours" I stated quietly before leaning over and kissing Rosalie's lips lingeringly, before tossing the sheets back and climbing out of bed. After a shower, I'd changed into a pair lose fitting sweat pants and a T-shirt with a pair of tennis shoes and my hair was tied back in a French braid.

"See you later" I called over my shoulder and walked out our bedroom, down the hallway and down the grand staircase, through the foyer and out the double doors, the cold air that hit me would've had me shivering violently had I been human. I took off at a slow jog, which with my enhanced abilities was more like an all out run for a vampire, listening to my acute hearing alerted me to a large male bear about a quarter of a mile away from my place in the centre of the forest, I bounded through the trees until the large black bear came into view, the male animal didn't even have a chance to put up fight before I had my hand wrapped around its throat, a quick twist ended the animals life, I buried my longer than normal canines into its jugular draining every drop of its less than sensational blood, the taste of it was nothing compared to the taste of Rosalie, it was like trading my favourite food for nutritious crap, yeah I'd never been one for diets, though by some miracle I'd managed to stay relatively thin, maybe it was all the falling I did, yeah that was it, fast metabolism I snorted at my own thoughts. The blood from the bear hadn't even taken an inch off my hunger. I lifted my head and inhaled deeply, my senses easily picked up on another slightly smaller bear close by, there was something else closing in on it though and it wasn't familiar, I felt the Fae inside me snarl territorially and before I knew it I was running in the direction of the unknown being, maybe it was just Maria, I hadn't spent enough time with her for my inner animal to recognise her scent as being friendly and I was sure that no one else would venture into this territory, after all they may seem playful but the Denali sisters weren't into letting just _anyone _into their space. Just then I detected a change in the vampire's path, I crouched offensively when they were a few feet away from me.

"Hola Bella, nice morning for a hunt isn't it?" Maria grinned when she appeared from behind a tree, her eyes were glowing blood red, indicating she'd recently fed on some unwitting human.

"If you're going to be staying you need to change your diet, and quickly" I hissed, none of us needed some dead humans showing up, drained of blood and an overly superstitious human pointing us out, God knows some humans believed in our existence and even though others thought they were mad they still attracted undue attention which would mean we'd have to move and I wasn't in any hurry to do so.

"I humbly vow to redouble my efforts" The latina crossed her fingers over her un-beating heart.

"I mean it Maria"

"As do I" The way she said that made me think she actually meant it, but that was vampires for you they were unbelievable good at lying. I scowled at her and turned my back.

"Whoa hold up-" She was suddenly standing in front of me, I crossed my arms over my chest and arched an eyebrow "-Want some company?"

"If you can keep up, feel free" I side stepped her and quickly started jogging slightly faster this time, I was interested to see just how fast she was, by my reckoning she was about seven hundred maybe eight hundred which meant in theory she should be able to keep up. Surprisingly enough she did manage to keep up, she was just a few feet behind me as I tracked that illusive bear.

"So I assume you want to talk" I spoke while gently lowering the lifeless bear to the ground, sometimes I really hated killing beautiful creatures like this.

"I'm I that obvious?-" I turned to glare at Maria who just grinned in response "-I just wanted to know what you are" I bit the inside of my cheek while contemplating whether I should tell her, in theory she couldn't do much physical damage to me, but what if she tried to hurt Rosalie while I wasn't around, I could feel the animal inside me snarl angrily, and I didn't know anything about Maria besides that she was Jasper's maker, she ruled over the Mexican territories with an iron fist and she had an army of vampires ready to do her bidding with a moments notice, though how she'd managed to keep the Volturi from finding out about them was beyond my comprehension.

"I'm the person thats going to kill you if you endanger my family" I stated simply, deciding against telling her what I was, I would figure out whether I could trust her first.

"Thats a pretty big threat to make, _fledgling" _I snarled at the title, I may only be a century but it would be so easy to kill her, just a flip of my wrist would drain the light from her eyes and thanks to my animalistic side I wouldn't regret it.

"You know Maria I only let one person get away with calling me that" I straightened from my crouch and instinctively tensed my muscles, I could sense the underlying aggression in her lightly accented voice though I couldn't quite figure out why she felt the need to direct it at me.

"Oooh is baby girl gonna have a hissy fit?" I closed the distance between us in a flash, so fast she didn't even see me coming, I wrapped my hand around her throat and lifted her several feet in the air, she clutched at my wrist while chuckling softly.

"See I knew you weren't a vampire" She choked when I tightened my hold on her.

"You provoked me just to get a reaction?" I nearly laughed at how gutsy she was, surely a part of her must know I could take her head off in the blink of an eye.

"Pretty much" she gasped out when I dropped her to the floor, she landed on her feet and coughed a few times while rubbing her throat gingerly.

"Why do you care about what I am?" I asked gently.

"I don't really know, I'm curious?"

"Stick around, and maybe one day I'll tell you"

"That was the plan, though I hope you realise that I'm going to be annoying you at every turn until I know what you are"

"And I hope _you _realise the risks in that"

"I'm beginning to understand just how many"

"Good, now then I'm still hungry. Shall we?" I turned and quickly scented for something a little more filling.

"We're going to at this all day aren't we?"

**Eleazar's POV.**

"Don't you think we should at least think about going home?" Carmen breathed softly, I smiled lovingly and caressed my mates cheek with my palm, we were laying in bed on our sides facing each other completely naked, as we had been for the past two days, my smile transformed into a grin when I though I about the perks of immortality.

"Mi amor we hardly ever get time alone, we should savour this and besides if something were wrong they would have phoned us, but if you truly want to go home then I will book the earliest flight" I conceded Carmen bit her lower lip before slowly returning my smile.

"Of course you're right, we should enjoy the time we have before we go back to the mad house" She grinned slowly and leaned forward, I eagerly met her half way brushing our lips together in a feather light caress, Carmen shifted closer to me and pressed her lips firmly against mine, I smiled against her lips before opening mine and letting her tongue tangle with mine, god it never seized to amaze me that I had tasted her over a thousand times yet each and every time I found something new to enjoy about her, this time was no different, this time I found myself marvelling at the way she was now attempting to suckle on my tongue, I could feel my cock beginning to twitch in awareness of my mates close proximity and the scent of her rising arousal, just as I suddenly felt obscenely hot. I reached up and tangled my hands in her long dark brown mane and deepened our kiss, delighting in the way she moaned when I nipped at her lower lip. The shrill shriek of the phone is what distracted me.

"Ignore it" Carmen whispered against my lips and moved to straddle me, I could feel her wet heat pressing into my sculpted abs as her lips returned to mine, I lost myself in her kiss, whoever was on the phone could wait, all that mattered to me now was worshipping my life-mate. When I pulled away form the sweet temptation of her mouth so I could rake my teeth down the graceful column of her throat, hearing her breath hitch in the back of he throat just as I sensed her arousal growing stronger, I sucked on the side of her neck just as her hands lifted and desperately fisted in my hair, in a smooth practised move I rolled us over so I was on top of her with my hips between her thighs, her soft panting filled my ears as I braced my weight on one hand and my knees and trailed my other down the smooth flesh of her chest to the swollen mounds of her breasts, my eyes narrowed on the sight of her hardened nipples, the thought of sucking them had my dick flexing and my mouth watering for a taste of them, I gripped one of her nipples between my thumb and fore finger, tugging firmly she moaned and bucked up into me, rubbing her wet pussy against me. My rising lust was driving me insane, all I wanted to do was bury my cock inside her and ride her until neither of us could go on, but the whole point in this holiday was to let us take the time to be with each other, to love each other without having to worry about anything else.

"Persistent son of a bitch" I cursed automatically when the phone started ringing yet again.

"Get rid of them" Carmen snarled beneath me, I sighed roughly before reaching out to grab the phone.

"Hello?" I cleared my throat hoping to disguise the lust in my voice.

"Finally I was beginning to think you were ignoring me".

"Tanya" I mouthed to Carmen who rolled her eyes but grinned nonetheless.

"Hellooo Eleazar are you there?"

"Yes Tanya, I'm here"_ hurry up woman, _I mentally added, the sooner I got Tanya off the phone I could get back to Carmen.

"All right so I got a question for ya"

"Why am I not surprised?"

"'Cause while I may be older than you I just don't pay attention to the little details such as matings"

"Get to the point please"

"M'kay, so you know Laurent mated with Irina?"

"Yes hows that working out?"

"Its not, thats the point." I sighed roughly feeling my arousal dimming with each syllable my sister spoke, I rolled off Carmen and leaned back against the soft cotton pillows, mentally preparing myself for a long ass conversation.

"Start at the beginning" I sighed again even as Carmen settled into my side and rested her head on my chest, I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and waited for Tanya to answer me.

"Right so uh...Christ this is hard, don't interrupt me okay?" Oh God this is gonna be bad I just knew it, how long was it gonna take to get back to the states, even if I got first class tickets it would still take what a day maybe more, shit.

"We wouldn't dream of it" Carmen answered.

"Hey Carmen-" Tanya greeted over the line, vampire hearing was better than loud speaker I realised "-Now then while you've been gone, Carlisle showed up and well, lets just say Esme is in a bad way, Victoria got kidnapped by the Volturi-"

"What!" I couldn't stop myself from exclaiming, while Carmen bottled upright and tossed the sheets off our bodies and started rushing around the room searching for our suitcases I presumed.

"I said no interruptions!-" Tanya growled "-Don't worry, Victoria is back and shes with Esme now then the Volturi also got Irina, and shes says that shes mated to Heidi, is that even possible?" Now thats something I hadn't seen in a while, sympathy blossomed in my chest for Laurent, he obviously craved that connection.

"Yes its possible, though I've only seen it a few times myself-" It wasn't surprising that most of the Volturi had this little problem, after all that place wasn't filled with the warm and fuzzies "-If Ri _knows _that Heidi is her mate-"

"Shes says the connection is there"

"No interruptions please-" I smiled when I heard her grumble impatiently over the line "-Now sometimes when a vampire craves a mate, their bodies will simulate a mock connection, basically hes deluding himself into think Irina is his mate" I stated simply.

"Well thats just perfect, isn't it?-" Tanya drawled sarcastically.

"Listen don't tell him this, you might, how should we say, phrase it wrong and hes probably quite volatile right now"

"According to Seth and Em he _is _quite snappy"

"Thats because his body has lost its obsession, hes more than likely in the forest right now trying to pick up on her scent"

"Hes gonna need a miracle, shes not even in the country"

"Where is she?"

"Um can I tell you later, I don't know where he is and I don't want him finding out where shes at, 'cause she'd kick my ass if he interrupts them"

"Sure, by the looks of things Carmen has just finished packing so we'll be home tomorrow, I think"

"See you then"

"Wait, is Esme okay"

"I think she will be, in time"

"Carlisle is lucky hes already dead, otherwise-" I snarled threateningly, how could someone hurt Esme especially him that worthless little cocksucker.

"Yeah, everyone's thought exactly, see you at home"

"Til then" I waited for the _click_ that indicated she'd hung up, before replacing the receiver. I caught my slacks when Carmen tossed them at me.

"Hurry up, we need to get going"

**Maria's POV.**

"So why did you let Felix live" I voiced the question that had been bugging me ever since I got here, Bella inhaled deeply once again but otherwise remained silent, huh maybe she wasn't going to answer me.

"Just because killing is easy doesn't mean I live for it, I'll admit sometimes I enjoy it but otherwise its pointless" Mmm she'd change her mind eventually everyone did, hell I when I was first turned I was a pacifist, yeah the memory nearly made me laugh now cause now I craved a good fight.

"You say that now" I sighed roughly.

"Yeah and so long as no one seriously pisses me off, I always will anyway thanks for reminding me to call Felix"

"You know like a cheetah can't change its spots, the Volturi can't change their nature, its just the way they're hard-wired"

"Does the same apply to you?, I mean weren't you a sadistic bitch at one point?" I grinned slowly as we continued 'hunting', how could they even call it that, what they did was stalk helpless animals while the scum of the earth walked around, so they didn't want to hurt innocents, yeah fine I understand that but what about the other half, drug dealers, rapists, other criminals, why didn't they just go chow down on them, thats what I did.

"The only reason I went on a killing spree was because I had lost my mate" I admitted.

"That couldn't have been easy" Bella turned to look at me with those intense blue eyes.

"It felt like I got shot through my heart and ever since I've never taken another lover, it felt like I was betraying him just when I found someone attractive" I shook my head swiftly, hating the emotions rising within me, hurt, anger, loneliness, I was never going to get rid of them entirely but at least I was a raving nut job anymore, thats what had happened I just got consumed with the need for revenge against the vampires that had killed my Rodrigo, I had gotten it eventually but I'd never been able to get over the loss of my life-mate.

"You know, its not a crime to find someone else attractive"

"But I don't want to" I whispered feeling like my throat was closing up and my eyes were beginning to burn, such pathetic human emotions, they were useless and yet I couldn't ignore them.

"What was his name?" Bella asked gently, I swallowed the lump in my throat, maybe if I told someone about him it would make me feel a little better.

**Edwards POV.**

Mmm if Bell was supposed to be such a superior predator, then why couldn't she sense me I thought smugly while staring at the large mansion that housed my coven from the edge of the forest, perhaps she has _finally _come to realise where her loyalties should be, its about time. But my mate was going to have to wait first of all I had to avenge my father, that red headed bitch was a fool if she thought I was going to let her get away with murdering my honourable father, and I knew just how I was going to do it, first I needed to get Esme out of that crappy mansion, from the looks of it, it shouldn't be hard to scale the wall, but drat how did I find out which room she was in, fuck it I was going to need Demetri which meant a trip down south. But when I got back those fucking morons were going to pay for taking Carlisle away from me, just when he was supposed to be helping me take control of our coven, but then Carlisle could be such a selfish bastard sometimes couldn't he have at least stayed alive long enough to secure my position in our world, but oh no, he couldn't think of anyone but himself, but nonetheless he was my father. I reached into the front of my pants and pulled out my phone, flipping through my contacts until I found Demetri, I quickly pressed the phone to my ear and waited.

"What?" Uch what an ass, that wasn't the proper way to greet me.

"How dare you take that tone with me" I snarled.

"Oh for fuck sake, what. Do. you. Want?"

"You are going to come up to Alaska and help me" I told him simply, making sure to use small words, God knows the idiot didn't exactly have an extensive vocabulary.

"Is that right?"

"Yes it is, so get your worthless ass up here"

"And if I don't?, what are you going to do now that you can't go crying to Carlisle"

"I never needed Carlisle, and if you're not here in an hour or so I will come down there and drag you here" I growled when I heard him laugh over the line.

"Oh I gotta tell you Eddie, no one can make me laugh quite like you"

"My name is _Edward_, you illiterate bastard" I sneered.

"Well I _am_ a bastard I'll give you that, but unfortunately for you this bastard is staying put."

"Fine have it your way, make the necessary preparations I'll be there soon."

"See ya" That son of a whore hung up on me, I pocketed my phone and spun on my heel, he really is a dumbass did he think I wasn't serious, Mmm well at least I'd have the chance to teach him how a true vampire acts, but I really wasn't looking forward to seeing Heidi, that bitch had a mouth on her that reminded me of Rosalie, Rosalie the slut who stole _my_ mate, I made a mental note to pay extra attention to her when I had the all under my control, I wonder how well she'd like watching me and Bella finally consummate our mating, I smirked in satisfaction at the mere thought.

**Victoria's POV.**

Thank God I'm not human because if I was human, my arms would've been screaming in protest hours ago during the night, after Esme had crawled into my lap I had wrapped my arms around her tightly and ever since she'd been playing the ends of my hair silently. While I was happy just listening to her breathe the silence between us was killing me, normally I was the quiet one while she made conversation, but I guess she wouldn't feel like talking for a while I know I wouldn't. I winced as she tensed in my arms when there was a knock on the door, how did I get her to relax.

"Come in" I called out to our visitor.

"Hey-" Tanya greeted opening the door and closing it behind her, I nodded softly in return "-How you holding up?" Her question was directed at my silent mate.

"Better" I pressed a kiss to the top of her head when I felt her snuggle into me further.

"Thats good to hear-" Tanya smiled "-Anyway I'm only intruding so I can say that Carmen and Eleazar are coming back, Irina is safe though right now I'm kinda worrying about which part of her body shes thinking with and Laurent is going through male menopause" I smirked in amusement.

"Say that again" I asked.

"Hehe, forget I said that last part, what I meant was don't tell Laurent that you were in Mexico or Irina will make all of us mere immortals suffer painfully"

"Why?" Tanya sighed and leaned back against the door.

"Right it turns out that Laurent isn't Irina's mate but as far as hes concerned she is, while she has found her true mate in a Volturi"

"How...ah, how do we make him see sense" I asked with a frown, I'd never heard of that happening before, although I'm not one of the oldest vampires around so it probably was possible, battle tactics had always been my forte.

"I haven't got a fucking clue" Tanya drawled slowly.

"Thats helpful"

"Isn't it?, anyways just thought you should know"

"Thanks Tanya" I said just as Tanya was pulling the door open, I rested my chin on the top of Esme's head, damn Laurent must be in a bad way but he wasn't my number one priority right now.

"Maybe you should go and see if hes okay" I snorted when Esme spoke.

"He'll be fine, besides I'm comfortable-" I closed my eyes in bliss when I felt her smile slightly against the base of my throat "-I love you, you know that right?" I really didn't tell her that enough, well that was gonna change quickly.

"I love you too-" I turned my head and rested my cheek against the top of her head before slowly nuzzling her gently "-And I love it when you do that" What was I doing?, suddenly I became aware of a rumbling sound emitting from my chest, I smirked cynically.

"You're the only one whos ever made me purr" I admitted, I lifted my head when I felt her shift to look up at me, the smile that lit up her face was actually made me feel sick with happiness.

"Seriously?" I nodded slowly and unwrapped my arms from around her shoulders and cupped the sides of her face gently, careful not to spook her.

"Face it honey, you're my one and only" I watched closely as she raised her hand and wrapped it around one of my wrists.

"I though you wouldn't want me..._After"_ I felt a growl of denial rumble deep in my chest, God that bastard had fucked with my baby's head.

"Why would you think that?" I bit out, swallowing the rising rage rising within me.

"I hated myself, even now all I feel is...ruined"

"Baby you're perfect so don't ever think that again-" I leaned up and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead "-Besides, if I had been a little faster then maybe..." I clenched my jaw, maybe if I'd been a little faster then maybe I'd have caught them in time to stop him.

"I don't blame you-"

"Yeah well maybe you should, what kind of mate am I, if I can't even stop shit like that from happening"

"You're here now"

"And now you're comforting me when it should be the other way around, thats bloody perfect" Shit my detestable accent slipped, Esme tilted her head softly.

"You're English?".

"No" She smiled widely.

"Oh sodding hell-" I cursed until I heard her laugh softly "-Don't tell anyone, I beg of you" I pouted up at her pleadingly.

"Its a little late for that Vicky, Vampire hearing remember?" Tanya's voice suddenly floated into our room, I groaned pitifully, I was never going to hear the end of this.

"I hate you bastards" I growled even as I felt Esme wrapped her arms around my shoulders.

"Yeah we love you too, English" I heard Rosalie chuckle.

"I hope your labour lasts days" I retorted much to everyone's amusement, even Rosalie's.

"Yeah well that is a possibility, but I'll just think of this moment and maybe it will distract me"

"Hey mom can we hear you say 'Wanker', pretty please?" I heard Emmett plead.

"Absolutely not you tosser" I growled even as I felt myself grin widely.

"Oh this is never gonna get old" I heard Tanya sigh blissfully.

**Chelsea's POV.**

"What are we watching again?" I asked while staring at the TV screen in Heidi's room.

"Lemme check-" Heidi reached over the side of the bed and picked up the discarded DVD case "-'The notebook'" Heidi read before tossing it over the side again with a sigh of boredom, both Heidi and Irina had been really tense ever since I'd joined them little over four hours ago, Heidi was laying on her stomach with her head resting on her hands while Irina was mincing her pose but she had one arm tossed carelessly over Heidi's waist and her head was resting on her other hand and I was leaning against Heidi's pillows over on the lefty while the 'happy couple' was sprawled out on the right, could I even call them that yet, they seemed comfortable enough with each other, but where they happy or even together, I knew they were mated it was obvious in the way they were sharing smiles throughout our movie marathon and the way Irina was caressing Heidi's ribs with her thumb when she though I wasn't looking, whether they were together or not though I was happy for them, its about time Heidi settled down.

"What time is it Chelsea?" Heidi asked for the umpteenth time today.

"Why darling it is half past three, two minutes later than the last time you asked, why you got somewhere you need to be?-" I joked until she grumbled incoherently something she never did anymore "-Okay whats wrong?" I asked the two younger vampires.

"Shit why didn't I think of this before?" Heidi suddenly exclaimed flipping around at vampire speed to face me with a wide smile.

"Think of what, and when?" I asked timidly, the last time she said that it was back in fifteen century when she decided to mess around with the king of Portugal's daughter, ha we only just managed to get out of there without revealing the big secret, seeing as he tried skewering her like a kebab when she got caught in a compromising position.

"You've been around about three thousand plus years right?" I nodded in response and listened carefully as she explained her predicament.

"Listen this Laurent will come to his senses only when he finds his real mate, but until then hes going to continue thinking Irina is his mate"

"And theres no way of knowing who his mate is and playing matchmaker huh?" Irina drawled slowly.

"Correct" I muttered.

"Great" Heidi and Irina grumbled in synch.

**Rosalie's POV.**

After we'd all taken the piss out of Victoria, Alice had decided to call it a day after I refused to make any decisions without Bella which had irritated my pixie sister off to no end, even when I pointed out that nothing was set in stone and that when my little angel was born I'd probably look at him or her and think of another name that suited them better anyway, but this was Alice she liked fast decisions, planing was important to her and while I wanted to appease her just to get her off my back I really wanted Bella to make the finale decision, after all I was in charge of decorating the babies room and I'd chosen the colour schemes and what not so this one was all down to Bella. I suddenly felt that now familiar fluttering in my stomach and before I knew it I was abruptly starving, like my baby was ringing a bell that meant 'feed me', oh well I already lived for my angel so it was no big deal. I climbed out of bed and headed over to the dresser, still clad in my tank top and top cotton bottoms I'd slept in last night, huh I wonder if I always sleep or if I'll go back to normal after the baby is born, they did say that a new mother should sleep when her baby is sleeping but surely that didn't apply to me, did it?. I shrugged to myself and picked up my hairbrush and slowly dragged it through my long mane of golden blonde hair, after deciding that I was presentable I grabbed my robe from the closet and headed downstairs. When I walked into the kitchen I was met with an ill looking Seth bracing himself against the kitchen counter, he kinda look like what Leah had right before she'd gone into heat.

"Hey Seth" I greeted cautiously.

"Hey Rose-" He bit out, uh oh definitely going to go into heat judging from the amount of pheromones I could scent coming off him and the sheen of sweat covering him, I pointedly avoided looking at his crotch cause I really didn't nee to see that "-When Alec gets back will you-"

"Tell him you're upstairs, yep, I can do that" I smirked when the younger man all but ran past me and upstairs.

"Awww puppy love-" I chuckled to myself and walked over to the fridge "-Now then what do you feel like?" I spoke gently and placed my hand on my steadily growing stomach while studying the contents of the fridge, I whirled around when a figure appeared in the doorway, feeling my protective instincts come to life.

"Whoa!, hey Rose is Bella back yet?" Jane's voice lacked her usual confidence which made me wonder what the hell Bella had said to the other blonde.

"Not yet, what do you need her for?" I turned back to the fridge, Mmm turkey.

"I wanted to talk to her about Jake" That was understandable I guess, Bella and Jake were best friends after all, I thought grabbing the turkey plate and setting it on the kitchen counter, I walked back over and grabbed the carton of orange juice.

"Well she'll probably be back in a few so why don't you keep me company"

"Yeah sure" Okay what was wrong with this picture, normally Jane would've told me to go fuck myself and storm off but here she was sitting on one of the sitting on one of the stools beside the counter.

"So whats new with you?" I asked sitting next to her on a free stool with my sandwich and glass of OJ.

"Um, well it was mine and Alec's birthday yesterday" Oh whos a tactful little demon I thought sarcastically while nearly choking on my OJ.

"Why didn't you say something?" I asked coughing into my closed fist.

"Well back ho...at Volterra, we never made much of a big deal so I figured 'whats the point?'"

"The point is this isn't Volterra and Alice loves planning parties so it wouldn't have been hard-" Jane arched an eyebrow at me "-Plus birthdays are a big deal, now come on how old are you?" I was almost dreading the answer, but it would be nice to know how old my sister was.

"Thirteen hundred and twelve" _Damn _my eyes widened in shock, I couldn't imaging being that old it just seemed unreal.

"Well finding a banner with that on would've probably been the hardest thing to find" I commented with a smile.

"Why do we need banners?-" I turned to find Bella standing in the doorway with Maria close to her, and I mean so close that it actually bothered me, I felt my upper lip curl into a silent snarl "-Back off Maria" The latina grinned before stalking away.

"It was my birthday yesterday" Jane answered Bella while my mate sauntered into the kitchen and wrapped her arms around me, Hmm she smells good, like caramel and freesia, damn now I want a taste of her, I leaned up and nuzzled the base of her throat before gently licking the exposed skin.

"Jane you shoulda said something" I heard Bella growl, while I continued to lap at her throat the urge to sink my teeth into her jugular was so tempting even with our audience.

"Yes I'm beginning to gather that" Jane sighed just as Alec appeared in the doorway.

"Hes upstairs" I mumbled against Bella's throat, I smirked when the older vampire left without a word.

"Now then I gotta call Felix" I pouted when Bella interrupted my fantasy of luring her upstairs so we could have a little 'alone time'.

"Felix?" Jane asked with a frown.

"Long story short, Felix helped us and I said I'd make sure Aro didn't kill him" I pulled away from her then, I'd only met the large vampire a handful of times but I liked him, he reminded me of Emmett at times.

"Have fun" I patted her on her hip before turning back to Jane.

"Yeah anyways will you remind me to get a new cell" Bella called over her shoulder.

"Will do"

**TBC. . .**

**AN: Okeydokey as always I would love to get your thoughts on this chapter, right in the next chapter Marcus comes into the picture, Rose has a scare, Jane goes looking for Jacob and Bella has to figure out what to do with Felix, the next update will be up as soon as possible. Til next time. **


	24. Chapter 24

Title: Coming Home.

Pairings: Bella/Rosalie, Leah/Alice, Esme/Victoria.

Rating: M

Disclaimer: Nothing is mine, it all belongs to Stephanie Meyer.

Summary: The Cullens left in New Moon, Victoria changed Bella, together along with Jacob, Seth, and Leah they've lived in Forks for over a century. What happens when the Cullens come back.

**AN: Its late I know I hate myself for making you guys wait this long but in my defence I've been freaking out about going back to sixth form and now that I've actually gone back its just gotten worse, I won't bore you with the details but man you do not want to be in my shoes right now, believe me!. Now then here is the update, I hope you enjoy.**

**Chapter twenty four, Marcus's POV.**

"You look nervous" I rolled my eyes at Caius's not so subtle way of asking how I was feeling, honestly it wouldn't kill him to just ask would it.

"Hardly" I replied easily while buttoning up my black silk shirt.

"Don't you think thats a little over confident, you are about to walk into the 'Fae's den' as it were"

"The 'Fae's den', shes not a mindless animal you know"

"Nah, with a pregnant mate you never know"

"Then I will have to trust my instincts won't I?"

"Like they'll help you when you get over there" Caius scoffed while I pulled the vest of my three piece suit on and buttoned it up.

"Are you implying that my senses aren't as sharp as they once were?"

"No I'm implying that its been almost three centuries since you took one step out of Volterra and I'm merely inquiring if you think you're up to this" I smirked softly and turned to face my brother leaning against my door.

"Don't worry baby brother I'll be fine"

"You better be, because I don't want to deal with Aro on my own"

"Whats the worst that could happen?"

"Tanya could decide she wants to keep you to work on your less than responsive self"

"Oh indeed that would be a nightmare, now was there anything else?"

"Nope, I guess I'll see you when you get back"

"Of course" I pulled my jacket on while Caius pulled my door open and slipped out my bedroom. I had at least an hour to kill before one of our humans had our private jet ready, and then I would come face-to-face with the young Fae that I had chosen to save rather than condemn over a century before, I didn't regret my decision even knowing that she would no doubt kill my brother, well that was what the Fae's mother had predicted.

_Flash-back, Venice 1982._

_What had possessed me to do this?, Fae's were our enemies and yet here I was about to meet up with one of them, and it wasn't just any Fae, it was Akasha the Fae ambassador and heir to their throne. I rounded a street corner and walked along the canal, the streets were mostly empty of humans seeing at it was nearly four in the morning. I found Akasha waiting near the piazza st. Marco, she was dressed in dark clothes and she was pacing back and forth rapidly, it was fortunate that no humans were around simply because Akasha was moving so fast it would've been impossible to mistake her for anything remotely human._

"_Marcus-" Akasha turned to face me with narrowed blue eyes "-Would you care to explain why three of our political leaders were assassinated today-" I opened my mouth to justify the actions of my brother "-And before you lie to my face, I know it was Caius who has been organising the deaths of my kind" I sighed roughly knowing that this wasn't going to end well, but she did deserve the truth and who was I to deny her._

"_With all due respect Akasha, your kind is responsible for his mates death" I began mentally cringing at the animalistic snarl that left her throat._

"_So you would punish my entire race for the actions of a few of us?"_

"_No I don't think Caius knows what hes doing"_

"_You think thats a fucking excuse for butchering our woman and our children. Did you know that one of the senators your brother managed to murder early had a daughter who was barely five years old, but did that stop your fucking brother from killing her?"_

"_What do you want from Akasha, my life?"_

"_If I wanted to kill you Marcus believe me when I say you'd be dead already. What I need from you is..." She trailed off and inhaled deeply "...Wait here" With that she disappeared around the corner of the piazza St Marco. When she returned her eyes were blazing dangerously and her forearms were glowing with an unholy light, I backed away instinctively, until I saw what had triggered Akasha's territorial response, behind her holding a wrapped bundle was Elana, Akasha's mate._

"_I know that Caius won't stop until until every last one of our kind has been destroyed, but my child is innocent Marcus-" Akasha cleared her throat and turned to draw her mate and her child into her arms "-Will you keep her safe?"_

"_What about you?"_

"_It will only be a matter of time until Caius comes looking for me and despite myself I cannot bring myself to kill him simply for trying to avenge his mate, so Marcus whats your answer?"_

"_I owe you that much" I nodded, watching as Elana tearfully pressed a kiss to her baby's forehead, the young child gurgled softly when she was passed from Elana to Akasha. I felt my own eyes begin to burn at the scene before me, Elana's neon blue eyes were shining brightly as she watched her mate approach me with her precious bundle cradled against her chest. I held my arms out awkwardly as Akasha placed the young in my arms, I looked down at the little child, she blinked up at me adorably, it was then I noticed that instead of the signature blue eyes that the young should possess she had chocolate brown eyes. I looked up to find Akasha and Elana holding each other tightly._

"_She won't know what she is until she claims the one born for her, until then she will seem completely human" Akasha said softly._

"_What will you do now?"_

"_Go into hiding and patiently await the day Caius comes back to himself"_

"_I don't understand, anyone of you could've easily killed him already, but you haven't, why?"_

"_I convinced my father to call of the price on his head, simply because I understand his pain, but if he finds us I will have no choice but to kill him"_

"_Then I will make sure that he doesn't find you, but what about her" I looked down at the young in my arms, noting the way she was looking around in a clear attempt to find her parents._

"_When shes ready I will know" Akasha cast on last longing look towards her daughter before turning away._

"_Wait, whats her name?" I called out to the retreating couple._

"_Isabella"_

So I had kept my word, I'd placed Isabella in the care of Charlie and Rene Swan a kind hearted human couple desperate for a child that they'd never be able to have naturally, and as far as I had been aware of they'd treated her as their own and never told her the truth. But that was over a hundred years ago, those humans were dead and Bella had found the one she was meant to be with, but was she ready to find her parents?, it wasn't really any of my business but over the three weeks she was in my care I had grown quite fond of the little mite and I couldn't help but wonder how she'd grown and what she looked like, would she have Akasha's white blonde hair or Elana's red-black, would her bone structure be dainty like Elana's or would it be elegant like Akasha's, though I was certain that she would have their caring personalities.

"Brother its time to leave" I looked up at find Caius once again hovering in my doorway, I suddenly felt ill at the prospect of seeing the little mite, how would she react, Gods how could I be worrying about this, it wasn't like she was my child. I stood up and walked towards my door, briefly wondering how Akasha and Elana were going to react when they saw Bella again, if it were even a fraction of the nervousness I was feeling then I pitied them.

"The car is waiting outside for you and the jet is all ready to go" Caius informed me while we walked down the hall together.

"Ah there you two are, going somewhere Marcus?" Aro suddenly appeared in front of us, crap, I schooled my expression into my typical mask of impassiveness while Caius muttered under his breath and our annoying pest of a brother clasped his hands in front of him and looked pointedly at me.

"I thought I might go and check in on Chelsea, her last report lacked anything of interest and perhaps my presence there will encourage then to get some results" I nearly smirked at Aro's look of anger, clearly he'd expected me to stutter out something unbelievable, the dolt.

"Of course what a...brilliant idea" Aro bit out irritably.

"I thought so which is why I'm leaving immediately" I made to walk past him only to have him grab my arm, I arched an eyebrow at him in question.

"Be sure to report back with anything of note"

"Duh thats the whole point in me going" I jerked my arm out of his grasp and walked past him, down the hall, past our reception area, up the stone stair case and into an elevator, all the while I was wondering if Aro was going to have me followed, it was obvious that he suspected both me and Caius of turning against him, but would he actually have the nerve to have me followed?, oh well, guess I was going to find out soon enough.

**Tanya's POV.**

"Tanya don't even think about it" Jasper growled.

"Oh baby I'm not thinking about doing it, I _am_ doing it" I smirked down at my man.

"Hell no darlin' theres no chance I'm gonna let you"

"Honey I don't remember saying you had a choice"

"Dammit Tanya-"

"Baby the more you say my name like that, the longer you're going to be tied up" I grinned down at him while slipping my hand cuffs around my head bored and snagging his wrists so I could restrain him.

"You know I could just break them" Jasper pointed out.

"Sweet thang, you break my hand cuffs and theres no sex for a month, and by no sex I mean I'll use you to get off and then I'll leave you hanging, so whats it gonna be _darlin'-" _I purred while stroking his bare chest, when he grumbled under his breath I smiled happily and climbed off his gorgeous naked body.

"-Now then _lover_ all you have to do is wait here for a couple hours then I'll come back ride you until you can't walk" I stated bluntly.

"Why did I agree to this again?"

"Cause you love me-" I grinned "-Foolish man" I chuckled to myself just thinking about how we'd gotten into this little situation, it was a miracle what you could do with a little cock sucking, a pinch of orgasm denial and a smidgen of manipulation.

"That statement is becoming less and less true with each fuckin sentence"

"Aww is baby boy feeling a little frustrated?"

"'Little' are you fuckin kidding me?"

"Was that an innuendo?, honestly what is it with men and their cocks?, you're not the biggest I've ever had you know-" I clamped my hand over my lips while my eyes practically bugged out of my head, Uh God I'm such a dumbass, Jasper snarled dangerously and his eyes were now jet black because of me and my stupid ass big mouth, you never, _never _say that to your lover let alone your mate, _stupid, stupid, stupid_.

"Hehe I'm gonna run away, but you stay, and I'll ah, see ya later" I ran out the room, while he stayed put, shit was that a good thing or a bad thing?, on one hand I wasn't getting my ass reamed but on the other I could've really hurt his feelings, I'll make it up to him, but how I'd just delivered the lowest blow I could've and it wasn't even intentional, Gah why did I have to say that, I mean really.

"Hey guys" I mumbled when I found Bella and Rose snuggled up on the couch, their hands were linked over Rose's now bulging baby bump and the smiles on their faces were the thing of envy.

"Hey Tanya" Bella smirked knowingly.

"Whats with the smirk B?" I sat on the arm of the couch next to them.

"You're in trouble" Bella spoke in a sing-song-voice while Rose laughed softly.

"Ha ha you're hilarious" I drawled sarcastically.

"I have my moments" Bella grinned.

"So why aren't you up there apologising" Rose asked.

"By doing what?, Jazz I'm sorry I insulted your manhood, wanna fuck?" I rolled my eyes in response.

"Thats what I would do" Bella nodded softly.

"Yeah I've been meaning to ask you how did Rose take it when you told her about the strip-" I suddenly found myself being tackled backwards, I landed on the hard-wood floor with a grunt which only got louder when Bella landed on me and clamped her hand over my mouth.

"She doesn't know" _Aww man not again, _I mentally kicked myself when Bella looked down at me with pleading eyes.

"When you went where?" Rose was suddenly on her feet next to us, her jaw was clenched tightly and her eyes were turning black.

"The strip-mine!, we went down the strip-mine thats where we met Maria!" I lied when Bella loosened her hold a little.

"Which one?" Rosalie growled.

"I don't fucking know, do they even have strip-mines down there?" oh for fucks sake someone just cellotape my mouth shut, _please._

"Okay, okay I forced Bella to go into a strip club, there are you happy?-" Rosalie was growling constantly now and to be very honest it was beyond scary "-Whos in trouble now?" I couldn't resist smirking up at Bella.

"Sister you better run or your life, cause when shes done I'm going to kill you" I decided to take her word for it and shimmied out from under her when I was free of her I dragged my sorry butt of the floor.

"Hehe I'll see you guys next year-" Bella turned and glared at me while Rosalie began stalking closer to her, her intentions were pretty clear, judging from the scent of arousal that suddenly filled the room, jeez they're worse than me "-Or maybe next century, tell titch I love them and buh-bye" With that I spun of my heel and ran out the house.

**Kate's POV.**

"You think she'll be okay?" I asked Emmett while we watched Jane walked down the halls of our high school towards her English room, Emmett had his arm slung over my shoulder while I had mine wrapped around his waist as we turned from our sister and made our way towards our history class.

"I dunno, I mean she wasn't insulting that little twerp when he was flirting with her, which is a bad thing cause the Jane we know would've cooked him over a spit but-"

"You're _so _logical" I smirked up at him as we walked into our classroom and took our seats at the back of the class.

"Hey I'm just telling it like it is"

"Hi Kate" I turned in my seat to find a tall brunette boy that I had lent my notes to in physic's class the other day smiling nervously down at me. Oh hell whats his name?, think, think, _think._

"Hey, did you catch up all right?" Fuck it, just keep it civil and pray he goes away.

"Yeah thanks, here is your notes" I took the stack of papers from him with a smile, that faded when I felt Emmett place his hand on the back of my chair and I just knew from the boy's face that my mate wasn't smiling.

"You gonna introduce me baby?" Emmett asked, argh he just wants to make me look like an idiot doesn't he?, I turned and scowled at him.

"Emmett this is..." _When I turn around again you will fill in the gap_, I risked a look back at the human who looked like he was trying to decide whether or not Emmett intended to inflict bodily harm.

"...Toby, I'm in Kate's physic's class" Well I had to admit the human had guts, no stuttering, he didn't run away when Emmett spoke and he even held his hand out to my mate.

"Hi Toby, I'm Emmett and I'm in Kate's bed" I elbowed Emmett hard in the ribs when finished he speaking, uch possessive much.

"Nice to meet you, anyways I'd better-" He trailed off when our history teacher Ms Flanagan walked in, she was a young and fun loving kind of person but she could be unbelievably strict at times which the humans found very annoying.

"Toby will you take a seat please?" Ms Flanagan asked "-Okay class today we'll be studying the civil war"

"Again?" Emmett muttered from beside me.

**Bella's POV.**

"Were you going to fucking tell me?" Rosalie snarled ridding me off my tailored slacks leaving me completely naked in the middle of our bed.

"Um that'd be a no" I answered smartly earning me a growl.

"You're going to regret that, now turn over and get on your hands and knees"

"Not now Rose"

"Excuse me?"

"You can fuck me when you've calmed down" Her eyes were nearly totally black and I swear if she growled any louder than the room was going to start shaking.

"Shut up and do as you're told-" I bit my lip, feeling myself getting a little turned on by this new dominate side of Rosalie, but I stayed put "-You have the nerve to disobey me now after going into a fucking strip club?" Damn she had a point, I realised and rolled over onto my toned stomach before pushing myself onto my hands and knees before her, this new primal position had my libido heating steadily.

"Good girl" She crooned behind me, I closed my eye in anticipation, I knew what she had in mind and a little part of me couldn't wait for it.

"Whatev-AH!" I shouted when I felt her hand connect with my ass, the sharp sting was shocking and I totally didn't expect the sensual burn that bloomed.

"Count for me" I rolled my eyes even as I felt desire fill my veins.

"You can't be seriou-OW!" I jerked suddenly when her palm came down on my backside.

"Oh I'm deadly serious, do you really think I'm going to let you get away with it?" She asked behind me "-Now count for me"

"One" I called out when I felt her hand connect with my ass again, Motherfucker the pleasurable sting was sending shock waves straight to my clit.

"Two" I should not be getting turned on by this, but I could feel my breasts getting heavy and my nipples began to harden.

"Three"

"Four"

"Five"

By the time I was at ten my ass felt like it was on fire and my pussy was no better, I could feel my juices coating the insides of my thighs and I was panting desperately.

"Oh we're not done, you see I just remembered that Alice, the little dear took the liberty of going _shopping_ for me_" _The way she said that made me shudder in arousal, I felt Rosalie move away from my overheating body, only for a second before I felt her behind me again.

SLAP!

I arched my back and hissed when I felt something cold connect with my ass, it wasn't her hand I knew that much.

"Mmm we're going to have so much fun with this" Rosalie purred while I whimpered in pleasure-pain.

**Jane's POV.**

Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah that all I was getting out of this lesson, English had gone by smoothly, then came Math, and here I was in biology. The teacher was old and slow which while it did have its plus points, watching your teacher forget what they had just said wasn't going to keep someone entertained forever.

"Boring isn't it?" I turned in my seat to find that brat from my history class sitting next to me, Mmm maybe he was a stalker.

"Very" I returned my attention to the board, trying to get across the fact that I didn't want to talk anymore.

"So I was wondering-" Uch wondering minds, they should be crushed "-If you wanted to come over my house to study, like tonight?"

"What makes you think I need help to study?"

"Well its just that, you haven't taken any notes so you're probably gonna find our homework assignment a little difficult" I winced when I realised a human would've taken notes during class, but I didn't need to, I knew all this crap of the top of my head.

"I have a date" And I did, it was obvious that if I wanted Jacob I was going to have to get him myself, even if it meant getting pounced on, I was a big girl I could take it, except its kinda been a while so...Mmm maybe this wasn't such a good idea, argh no, I missed Jacob, though I would never admit that out loud, I missed the way he was always trying to make me feel comfortable around him, the way he was with me in general and they way he was with his family.

"Oh well how about tomorrow?"

"The assignment is due tomorrow" I smirked at his crest fallen face.

"Well I mean..."

"Look..." I shut my mouth when I realised I didn't know his name.

"...Shane" He supplied.

"Shane, I'm not interested but I think she is" I nodded in the direction of a brunette girl across the classroom, she blushed and looked away a little too quickly when 'Shane' followed my line of sight.

"Stacy, shes just-"

"The only one you're gonna get, now would you let me focus" I snapped and turned away from him.

**Heidi's POV.**

"Marcus is in the area" I looked up from my new addition of _vogue, _to find Chelsea looking at her phone.

"So?"I asked and tossed my magazine onto the coffee table.

"So thats means we're in trouble"

"Come on Chelsea it just Marcus, now if it were Caius or Aro then I'd be worried"

"Still, we should probably-"

"Hello my dear friends" I whirled around towards the front door to find Edward-I'm-so-superior-Cullen in the doorway.

"Who let the arrogant bastard in" I asked Chelsea who looked just as irritated as I felt.

"I'm not a bastard!" Did he just stamp his foot?, no not even he could be that childish.

"Eddie-boy would you let the grown ups talk?" I sneered at him.

"Don't call me that or I'll-"

"You'll do what?, whack your head against a wall like a damn child having a tantrum?" I interrupted while Chelsea sniggered gently.

"Or I'll-"

"Humph, I thought I smelled a rat" Demetri came into the room wearing nothing but a pair of worn pair of jeans.

"You Son of a bitch-"

"Can we kill him?" I asked Chelsea, she was the strongest vampire in the territory at this moment in time and therefore I had to obey her orders whether or not I liked them.

"I don't know, Aro seemed intent on keeping him alive"

"Stupid Jackass-"

"I'm gonna tell him you said that" Edward smirked.

"Lets see you do that when I rip out your tongue-" I turned to face Chelsea again "-I can do that, right?"

"I don't see why not" Chelsea grinned evilly while cracking her knuckles, Edward swallowed hard and backed away.

"Hold on it will just grown back" Demetri pointed out.

"So what do you suggest, cause I'm not listening to him rant about how great he is" I asked the other vampire.

"You should feel privileged that I'm even in this flee invested-"

"Chiudi quella cazzo di!" The Italian rolled of my tongue easily when Edward opened his mouth.

"Heidi baby, he couldn't 'shut the fuck up' even if he tried, he lives up his own ass" Demetri snarled.

"Don't call me 'baby' you sorry little ingrate"

"What now that you've found your mate you're too good for me?"

"Now that I've found my mate the only way I'd let you touch me is with a ten-foot pole"

"Careful what you wish for" Demetri grinned.

"Oh you sick, inbred fucker"

"Thats not what you said last week"

"Don't remind me"

"Would you both shut up!" Chelsea yelled.

"Yeah you shouldn't argue in front of me" Edward puffed out his chest.

"Ho intenzione di strappare la testa!-" I lunged at him only to have Felix come out of nowhere and wrap his arms around me in a bear hug that kept me from attacking the cowering little shit "-Lemme at him Felix" I growled and struggled in my brother's arms.

"Calm down hellion" Felix tightened his hold on me.

"I don't want to calm down I want to make him squeal like a little girl"

"Why are you even here?" Chelsea asked Edward.

"You are all going to help me avenge my father!" I nearly laughed at his presumption.

"And ah, why would we do that?" Chelsea grinned to herself.

"Because I said so"

"Oh this asshole has issues" Demetri muttered.

"Can I kill him now?" I asked, I was eager for a fight or a fuck or maybe both but there was no way I was gonna be consummating my mating where Demetri could hear me, the idea was cringe worthy.

"Felix put her in with Irina, maybe she can clam her down"

"This isn't over you little shit" I growled at Edward while Felix lifted me off my feet and dragged me out the room.

"You just don't know when to call it quits do you _Cara mia_?"

"Call it quits when it comes to Edward-fucking-Cullen hell no"

"Oh well I hope you have fun cooling off" I grumbled under my breath when Felix opened the door to Irina's cell and all but tossed me inside.

"What was that all about?" Irina asked when Felix puled the door open.

"We have a cockroach in the building" I muttered and knelt beside her, I pressed my hands to the glowing Peyral ore and whispered the incantation releasing her wrists before moving to her ankles.

"You're gonna have to elaborate on that one" Irina sat up and leaned on her hands.

"You don't wanna know" I sighed roughly, I still wanted to kick his butt but with Irina this close the urge was nowhere near as strong as it had been upstairs.

"Actually I'm dying to know but if you don't wanna tell me then-"

"Edward Cullen is upstairs" I blurted out earning me a low snarl from Irina that sent shivers up and down my spine.

"And you want to go all bitchy vampire on him"

"Oh did you just call me a bitch-" I smirked when she stuttered "-Forget it, I'm just playing with you"

"Cruel"

"You'll learn to love it"

"I'm sure" Suddenly I was just so aware of how close to me she was, and I just _needed_ to touch her, I reached up and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, our eyes met and I almost felt hypnotised by the golden depths. I leaned forward, briefly hesitating when our lips were nearly touching, though I didn't really have to because abruptly were covering mine, her lips were soft and tender against mine, I was distantly aware of her wrapping her arms around my neck while I licked at the rosebud perfection of her mouth, I closed my eyes tasting something so sweet and addictive. I moved my hands up and buried them in her long silvery blond hair, she moaned deeply and opened her mouth for me, I thrust my tongue sharply into her mouth, Sweet heaven she tasted like honey, she tasted so good.

"Lean back" I whispered against her lips, she leaned back with little prompting, I leaned back down and recaptured her lips, this time I opened my lips for her tongue, when she plunged it inside my mouth I clamped my lips down on it and suckled it eagerly, luxuriating in her taste and the soft moans leaving her throat while she dug her sharp nails into my shoulders, the sharp pain sent shards of pleasure through my body causing me to gasp against her. She smirked against my lips and pulled back from me, she raked her teeth down the column of my neck, I hissed feeling my nipples harden against the material of my halter top, God I really needed her to hurry up and suck the aching buds but she was obviously content with learning the curves of my neck which was really fucking frustrating cause my nipples were beginning to hurt.

"Irina...please" I whimpered when she nipped at my pulse point, I strained closer to her, silently begging for more contact. When I finally felt her hands grip the hem of my top, I wasn't even phased when I heard her rip the black and white material, I really needed her touch, I could feel my body burning desperately and my juices were soaking my panties. I couldn't help but gasp when she cupped my lace covered breasts, the sensation of her thumbs rubbing against my hard nipples felt sinfully good, I arched my back into her, mewling needfully when she lips trailed down my neck, she swirled her tongue against the base of my neck, oh God I could just imagine her working my clit with that skilful tongue, I doubt I would last more than a few minutes. Suddenly I felt like the world was spinning and I found myself laying beneath her, I barely had time to register her movements before she ripped my bra open, exposing me to her heated gaze. Damn I felt like I was on fire, every inch of me was aching for her touch, my pussy was so hot it was becoming uncomfortable and my nipples were engorged, I arched my back, silently offering myself to her, I closed my eyes when I felt her fingers trail a path down to my hard nipples before her thumb and fore finger gripped one of my fiery points tightly.

"Oh fuck" I moaned at the pleasurable jolt that simple touch caused, Jesus I could feel my pussy quivering, Mmm I felt so empty. I was dimly aware of her leaning over me, suddenly she covered my other nipple into the gloriously hot cavern of her mouth, it felt like liquid fire, I cupped the back of her head pressing her closer while her tongue lapped at my nipple, I started to pant, I couldn't help myself. I cried out when her teeth gripped my nipple, nipping and tugging it gently while I wrapped my legs around her waist, trying to relieve the burning ache between my legs.

"Slow down baby, I want to savour this" She spoke hoarsely, Fuck how could she say that, I needed more, needed her sucking me in so deep and hard sending waves of ecstasy streaking to my pussy making my already hard clit beg for attention.

"God you taste good" She muttered a second before she sucked my nipple with renewed vigour, the hard sucking motion was sending blasts of brutal sensation ripping through me. I twisted beneath her, my hips raised and I began moaning carelessly while her other hand began to toy with my other nipple, her fingers tugged hard while her teeth rasped my tender tip, I whimpered at the duel sensations, Fuck I could cum from that alone.

"Shit, you like that don't you?" She lifted her head and her eyes narrowed on me as her fingers twisted my tormented bud. I couldn't stand the building pressure, the incredible sexual hunger that was consuming me, God what was wrong with me, I had never reacted like this to anyone before. A soft rumbling purr left her chest while I writhed beneath her and bucked my hips up to her, though she still refused to increase the pressure against my swollen pussy no matter how hard I tried to pull against me.

"What do you want kitten?-" She whispered, I gasped as her fingers tugged my nipple again, I wanted her mouth on me again, wanted to feel her lips and teeth tugging my nipple again, drawing on me making my cunt tighten in need "-Answer me baby"

"Stop messing around and fuck me" I growled, I didn't like foreplay with anyone, I'd rather they just shut up and finish me off.

"I'm getting there"

"You teasing little bitch" I cried out when she lowered her head again, her tongue was an instrument of torture as it rasped over my sensitive flesh sending my senses careening with pleasure. I twisted beneath her, the black pencil skirt I was wearing was riding up my hips.

"Ugh Irina just...Fuck!" I screamed when her fingers left my breast and ripped the thin material of my thong off, I cried out when the heat of her palm cupped my pussy sending arcs of pleasure flaring through my body, she groaned against my breast.

"Mmm you're so wet, I can't wait to bury my tongue inside your tight little cunt, would you scream for me baby?" I bit my lip to keep me from doing just that when her fingers parted my saturated folds, sending hot flares of sensation surging through my body, I arched trying to make her touch my throbbing clit.

"Stay still" Her order was followed by a small stinging slap landing on my wet folds.

"Son of a bitch" I felt like I was gonna combust, my clit tightened and my juices were flowing from my pussy dampening the insides of my thighs and her hand, I swallowed hard trying to keep myself from bucking against her hand, that slap had given me more pleasure than I cared to admit.

"Oh Kitten liked that didn't you?" I ignored the twitching in my thigh muscles while she ran her fingers through my slit I shuddered in response.

"Ah God do it again" I pleaded arching my hips.

"Fuck yes" She raised her hand again and brought it down again, the sharp sting made my clit tighten, I could feel my orgasm building within me.

"Fuck me please" I begged, she smirked right before I felt the tip of her finger against my wet entrance.

"Is that desperation I hear in your voice?" She circled my tight hole teasingly.

"I'm gonna kill you, you cocky bitch" I snarled.

"Now, now kitten, I'm a smug bitch" I was certain my heart started beating again when she finally pushed inside me, Fuck I could feel need slamming through my system.

"Motherfucker you're tight" Irina moaned when she was knuckle deep inside me, shit, she felt so good inside me, it felt so perfect, like two pieces of a puzzle coming together. She circled my clit with her thumb, torturing me with my need for release. Her fingers moved inside me, fucking into me with hard strokes.

"Ugh do it harder" I reached up and dug my nails into her shoulders arching my hips into her thrusts.

"Fuck that looks so hot, your greedy little pussy sucking my fingers inside, your hard little clit is so hard and swollen, you want me to make it feel better baby?" Irina purred.

"Yes!, do you want me to beg?" I cried out when she curled her fingers hitting that sweet spot, deep inside me.

"Oh yeah baby" She grinned smugly.

"Irina, please, fuck me"

"You're gonna have to do better than that"

"Argh!, fuck me like a little whore!"

"Now was that so hard?" She moved harder and faster inside me, the sounds of her fingers plunging into my pussy and our combined moans filled the cell, I closed my eyes letting myself just feel the sensations of my mate moving inside me, claiming me with hard strokes of her fingers, I bucked into each thrust, feeling myself getting closer and closer to the edge. She circled my clit with the pad of her thumb in the same instant she curled her fingers pressing against my G-Spot, I wailed in pleasure.

"Thats it baby give it to me" Her voice caressed my nerve endings.

Suddenly, like it was the trigger, I needed, my release built, and exploded, I arched my back and wailed in rapture, I felt her sink her teeth into my neck abruptly, holding me in place while my body continued to clamp down on her fingers. When my body had finally stopped rippling around her fingers, I suddenly became aware of what she'd just done.

"Fuck! Did I say you could mark me?" I pushed against her shoulders, Jesus I felt violated, marking your mate was the most important part of our matings, it meant that both parties were completely committed to each other and she'd just stolen the right for me to choose, its not like I wouldn't have let her do it eventually, when I knew more about her, but still she'd just fucking marked me without asking.

"Heidi calm down" Irina soothed against my neck, lapping at the small wound she'd made while using her superior strength to stay exactly where she was, on top of me between my thighs with her fingers still buried inside me.

"Get the fuck off of me" I hissed angrily.

"No" She nipped at my neck again warningly.

"Please" I whispered brokenly, I didn't want to be near her right now.

"I said 'no' Heidi" She really is a bitch, I thought while she continued lapping at my neck as though I wasn't struggling beneath her.

"Irina..." I began, feeling my resolve weaken when she began circling my clit again with her thumb.

"Let me make it up to you" She whispered against my neck.

"Oh hell!" I hissed when she began moving her fingers inside me again.

"Oh yeah baby, like that?"

"I like that, I hate you right now"

**Jane's POV.**

"Hey Bella" I smirked when my sister came down the stairs when I'd gotten home from school.

"Shut up demon" My smirked grew into a grin when she gingerly sat down on the sofa next to me, obviously Rose was already in a disciplinary role, but I hadn't come home early just to see how things were, after biology I just felt the need to go and find Jake.

"Where do you think Jake would've gone?" I asked bluntly while Bella shifted in her seat uncomfortably.

"Probably the old house-" Bella bit out "-Wait why do you want to know?"

"I just...I want to be...Uch, hes my mate, so I guess..." I stuttered.

"Yeah I know what you mean Jane-" Bella smiled gently "-So go get your man"

"Thanks Bella"

"Please I hardly did a thing"

"All the same, thanks"

"Hey what are families for?-" I scrunch up my nose softly "-Support, acceptance, love, you know what we'll work on it when you get back"

"Whenever that may be" I answered.

"Next month some time" Bella replied with a smile.

"I better get going" I stood up just as Esme and Victoria walked into the room hand-in-hand, Esme looked so much happier with Victoria close by but there was still something in her eyes that revealed she was still hurting inside.

"Where are you going?" Victoria asked softly.

"To find Jake" I answered honestly, they were my family after all there was no point in holding back from them.

"Fair enough, anyways Bella, Marcus wants to meet in the clearing that we met Caius in ten minutes" Victoria said to my sister.

"Can we reschedule, I'm a little tender right now"

"Then you shouldn't have gone into a strip club, now more your bruised ass" I smirked at Bella's defeated expression and walked out the door, I took off at a run, feeling oddly exhilarated at the prospect of seeing Jake again, huh must be a mating thing.

**Rosalie's POV.**

"Ow ow ow" I woke up to Bella chanting over and over again.

"Would you keep it down, we need our beauty sleep" I muttered into my pillow feeling completely unsympathetic she'd had it coming.

"Okay first off you don't need beauty sleep, if you were anymore stunning it would hurt to look at you" Crap shes flattering me, uch maybe I had been a little harsh.

"Mmm now you have my attention" I tossed the sheets off my body and slipped out of bed.

"What do you wear when meeting the guy who kept a mad vampire from killing you?"

"Um I don't really know but Alice did get you the new Jimmy Choo's shoes-"

"When did she get time to do that?" Bella asked disappearing inside our closet.

"This is Alice we're talking about, she would find time to show even if the world were ending" I grinned imagining the pixie running around the mall while the Earth just dropped away around her.

"Thats true"

"And I wouldn't suggest any tight pants" I smirked when I heard her mutter in agreement, Hmm I'll make it up to her later, already making a mental list in my head of all the things I was going to need.

"You know what?, screw it Marcus will have to meet me in sweats, T-Shirt and tennis shoes"

"Yes because that just screams sophistication" I drawled.

"Well you think of something then"

"That white strapless Dolce and Gabbana dress with the Jimmy Choo's" I answered, a dress would make things so much easier later on.

"That dress is extremely low cut and it only comes down to like, mid-thigh" Bella called out to me.

"Yes but you would look absolutely fabulous in it-" That was why I'd picked it out for her, albeit my hormones had been under control at the time, but I wasn't going with her so I wouldn't see it when Marcus's eyes became glued to her cleavage, I clamped my own hand over my mouth when a growl bubbled free of me, honestly I need to get a hold over myself, this was getting ridiculous.

"What are you doing to me little one?" I whispered pressing my hand against my _very_ swollen stomach, God I couldn't believe I was going to be saying hello to my little angel in just five days, maybe, if she wasn't late.

"Alright but you can't go off on one" I snorted indignantly seriously what did she think I was going to-

"Holy shit" I could feel my eyes bugging out my head when my mate stepped out of our closet, the expensive white material clung to her every mouth watering curve, the neck line was deliciously low cut, leaving her shoulders completely bare, the dress ended at just above her mid-thigh, oh sweet Jesus I couldn't even bring myself to drag my eyes away from her body long enough to check out her shoes, which were no doubt gorgeous, it was Alice who'd picked them out after all.

"What do you think?...humph!-" I was across the room faster than I though possible crushing my lips against hers hard.

"I think you should reschedule" I breathed against her lips feeling arousal begin to burn in my lower abdomen.

"Its not going to happen so move your arse!" Victoria suddenly yelled from down the hall, I scowled gently before pecking Bella's lips softly.

"Fine, but when you get home I'm going to have to apologise for my...recent treatment" I reached around and cupped her no-doubt still throbbing ass.

"You..." Bella trailed off suddenly when I squeezed her perfectly muscled backside.

"BELLA!" Victoria yelled.

"Argh! whats got your panties in a twist?" Bella suddenly yelled back.

"I want to get this little meeting out of the way so I can pamper my woman!" I released Bella instantly, knowing just how much Esme needed time alone with Victoria.

"See you later" Bella smiled.

"Uh huh now move your fine derrière-" Bella made her way towards the door obediently "-And tell V to take Esme to the spar followed by a walk along the Buskin beach and then take her to the lodge I brought back in the day-" I walked over to the nightstand and rummaged around until I found a small piece of metal "-Here is the key" I tossed it over my shoulder knowing she'd catch it before climbing back into bed.

"Don't you think V already has a plan?" Bella asked.

"Relax Bella she asked me what she should do yesterday, now get going or I may just have to detain you" I smirked thinking about all I could do to her, there were just so many ways I could make her scream for me.

"I'm going" Bella smiled before opening the door and walking out, when I heard the front door close downstairs and I was sure Bella wasn't in immediate hearing distance.

"Okay angel, here is the plan, I'm going to seduce your momma and I don't want to feel a twitch, kick or...ow!-" I exclaimed when I felt a sharp shooting pain projecting from my stomach and up my spine, damn that hurt I though after it had faded, but what the hell was that, it wasn't labour cause as far I was aware my waters hadn't broken and my angel wasn't due for _five whole days! _"-Guess you didn't like that idea huh?" I muttered feeling panic well up inside me, what if something was wrong, fuck wheres my phone?. I looked around my room, shit where was it? I groaned when another wave of that unfamiliar pain hit me, I placed my hand over my baby bump, what was I going to do, _Alice, _the pixie was still in the house, but she was with Leah would she even notice.

"Alice" I tried to call out, but that was when I became aware of a pair of eyes watching me, I looked towards the open window, out onto the balcony.

"Hello Rosalie" A feminine voice greeted.

**TBC. . .**

**AN: Oooh so who do you think that is?, right then I hate to say this but I have no idea when I'll be updating again cause I'm in for an unbelievably busy couple of weeks/months ahead of me, yep I know I'm kinda annoyed as well but hey thats the joys of sixth form for ya =(, actually scratch, that 'cause I love you guys so much, I'll try to get the next chapter up in ten days. 'Til then.**

**PS: Do you think Rose should have her baby early?, I'm really indecisive about it and I need help from you awesome people. **


	25. Chapter 25

Title: Coming Home

Pairing(s): Bella/Rosalie, Leah/Alice, Victoria/Esme, Tanya/Jasper, Emmett/Kate, Alec/Seth, Jane/Jacob.

Rating: M.

Disclaimer: Nothing is mine it all belongs to Stephanie Meyer.

Summary: The Cullens left in new moon, Victoria changed Bella, together along with Seth, Jacob and Leah they've lived in Forks for over a century, what happens when the Cullens come back?.

**AN: Shit! its been ages since the last update, but it could've been worse right?, Anyways let me just say thank you all for the reviews, favs and alerts they make my world go around, okay enough with that lets just get on with the update shall we?.**

**Chapter twenty five, Alice's POV.**

"You okay baby?" I asked, looking up at my half conscious mate from between her splayed legs, I knew that this was just routine as this whole 'heat' thing but that didn't mean I had to like seeing Leah looking so...weak, there was no other word to describe it as she pasted sated hours ago now she was boneless laying against out pillows breathing shallowly, she must be exhausted and yet I could still scent her rising arousal tempting e to return to my task of lapping at her succulent pussy until I felt her deliciously tight inner muscles tighten around my thrusting tongue, just like I had been for the past four hours, God I'd never get enough of her, and the knowledge that I got the pleasure of taking care of all her physical needs for the rest of my life was almost intoxicating. I laid my head down of her toned thigh, the different emotional states I found myself in over the past couple of days were truly baffling, one minute I could be freakishly energised when Leah needed to get off, but when she was thoroughly worn out, like now, I suddenly felt completely like every care in the world that would normally be pestering me just melted away until even the urge to needlessly breath drained out of me.

"Mmm, you killed me...now let me rest in peace" Leah mumbled adoringly before her breathing evened out and her heart rate slowed, I smiled at the tell tale signs of my mate slipping into sleep. This had become our routine, we'd fuck until she couldn't move anymore then while she'd sleep I'd go downstairs to see what everyone was up to and get some last minute shopping in before grabbing her favourite foods and running back upstairs, after ensuring that she replenished her burnt off calories, it was like her body knew she was once again ready to mate and before I knew it, that potent, mouth-watering pheromone would suddenly invade my senses, making me feel like I'd go insane if I didn't get a taste of my mate, which of course I was more than happy to indulge. While Leah slept soundlessly I carefully crawled off our bed, trying to ignore the way the frame squeaked in protest, just like it had been for the past several days, by the end of Leah's heat I would be _very _surprised if our once sturdy bed was still standing let alone being inhabitable, but at least I'd get to go buy a new one, again and again Mmm I couldn't wait. I grinned giddily before walking, completely naked, into our grand _en suite,_ after a quick shower I slipped into a pair of very tight jeans shorts and a white tank top and walked out our bedroom as quietly as I could possibly manage, I really couldn't be bothered to make an effort after the last time, as much as I loved the animal side of Leah I really didn't like seeing my outfits being shredded, though I now had a great opportunity to go shopping, Mmm I wonder how long it would take me to change?.

**Rosalie's POV.**

I couldn't stop the territorial growl that bubbled out my chest when that female voice filled my room, suddenly I felt very vulnerable but one thing I was sure of, was that whoever was at the other end of my room was not getting close enough to me to hurt my baby, with my enhanced speed it would be easy to get out the bedroom door and the house, but how had she managed to get in my room without me even noticing, it wasn't like I recognised her scent which should have immediately spurned my protective instincts into overdrive the moment she was within thirty feet of the house, but no it had been my baby that warned me of her presence, or at least I assumed thats what she'd been doing because the shooting pains I'd felt had lessened somewhat. I tensed my muscles slightly, when she slowly walked into my room, her movements were slow and all around unthreatening, but still did I stay put or did I run, one part of me was all for the latter, and the other was almost snarling dangerously.

"I'm not a threat to you, or your young" Her musical voice floated through the room like chimes, it was strangely alluring, like she was controlling her tone to reassure me.

"Really?" I found myself asking while following her movements with my eyes, I still wasn't sure if I should make a break for it, but she hadn't attacked yet so maybe she was telling the truth.

"Really-" She chuckled softly, for some reason I felt like I'd heard her voice before, something about her was just so familiar, it was then that I noticed her hair colour was a similar shade of Red-Black that Bella's was, though thanks to her constant movement I couldn't get a good look at her face or her eyes "-So you don't need to keep thinking about running for it" When she stopped walking and leaned back against the wall opposite the door, I finally slipped from the bed and cautiously placed a hand over my protruding stomach, at least my angel hadn't started up again.

"How did you...You're not another mind reader are you?" I growled, that was just what I needed, a mysterious woman who can read my mind.

"No, just body language-" She smiled softly, I felt a shiver go up my spine when I saw her eyes, they were neon blue, just like mine and...Bella's, no she couldn't be, could she? "-Now judging from the signs you're coming to a conclusion that you don't want to believe or you just don't like"

"You're..." I trailed off when recognition hit me like a punch to the gut.

"Elena" The petite _fae _supplied.

"...Bella's mom" I finished lamely, the older fae pursed her lips and nodded slowly, and lowered her head.

"Indeed I am" She sighed softly, how was this supposed to make me feel, should I be cold towards her, should I...maybe ask her things, Jeez this was awkward.

"Why...She just left" I settled for, cursing the high pitch of my voice, I sounded like Jane, which, as much as I loved her, wasn't very becoming.

"I know, I came here to see you" Elena spoke gently, probably trying to make sure that everyone else in the house wouldn't hear her.

"Why me?"

"Because, as much as I may want to see my baby again, I feel like I should, I don't know, see if you're okay with me"

"I don't understand, your relationship with Bella has nothing to do with me"

"Thats where you're wrong, you're her mate and the elder in your relationship, so I was hoping that you'd see how she feels towards us, before we actually try to build bridges"

"'We', being?"

"Me and Akasha"

"Oh yeah, so ah, where is she?"

"Shes close, we've never been far away from her all her life" Elena admitted, well this has been sufficiently weird and awkward and I have no idea how I feel about Bella's mother, but I guess the fact that shes finally revealed herself is a good thing, right?.

"Well I don't know what to do, I can't exactly walk up to her and ask how she feels about the parents that abandoned her" I wasn't angry over the fact, surprisingly enough, I was just curious over why they had left her, I know I couldn't do it, no matter what, and I hadn't even held my baby yet.

"I was wondering when you'd bring that up-" Elena sighed roughly, it seemed to me like she was gathering herself "-Rosalie, you must understand that we didn't want to give her up, it just seemed safer if she wasn't with us, and we were right, we've been spontaneously attack by various vampires for the past century and had Isabella been with us then, there would've been a very good chance that she would've been hurt or...or worse" I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from growling at the thought of someone hurting my mate, I literally felt sick when I thought about it and it wasn't the morning sickness, I'd gotten over that days ago.

"You have a point" I admitted.

"And had we kept her with us then you would have never met her-" Elena pointed out, I blanched suddenly, I couldn't imagine my life without Bella in it, obviously we hadn't gotten off to a great start but now, I would never willingly leave her again "-And..."

"Elena, I get your point, you only did what you thought was best"

"But was it for the best?, is she happy Rosalie?"

"We have our moments" I smirked to myself.

"Good, I'm happy for her and I'm glad that she found you, you suit her far better than that annoying bronze haired little boy" Elena waved her hand dismissively which made me snigger to myself, Edward really did have a talent if he could make someone that hasn't even met him, think hes a complete ass.

"Thanks for the approval" I smiled.

"Oh I didn't mean that you needed my approval, its just that, well you're everything I thought you'd be"

"Huh?" I frowned dumbly, what did she mean?.

"All fae have their powers and Akasha is a Seer, sort of like your sister Alice except her visions come a lot more frequently and hers _will _eventually come to pass" Elena grinned mysteriously.

"So you guys saw me coming huh?"

"From a mile away my dear just like we know what your child is going to be-" I swallowed hard when her bombshell hit me, she knew whether I was going to have a girl or a boy, suddenly I felt really light-headed "-Do you want me to tell you?"

"I, um...no, I want to be surprised"

"Of course, well I suppose I better get going" Elena straightened from the wall, which made me notice that she was only about five-foot-three compared to my five-foot-nine, huh Bella must get her height from Akasha.

"When am I going to see you again?" I asked when she was next to the window.

"Well considering that you didn't bite my head off and I'm not a mother in law from hell, maybe we can meet up in a few days" Elena said over her shoulder.

"My baby is coming in a few days" I smiled dreamily.

"Mmm well maybe...you know what, Akasha didn't want to intrude on your lives here, but..."

"I'll work on Bella and you work on Akasha" We both smiled at each other before Elena quickly leapt out the window and down the two stories to land silently on her feet, she was a dark blur as she ran through across the grounds and into the forest.

"Well this is going to be interesting" I murmured aloud before turning on my heel and walking out my bedroom.

**Irina's POV.**

"Okay how pissed are you?" I muttered into Heidi's ear when she'd finally stopped panting, I kinda knew that I should have asked for her permission before I marked her but come on, I'm a thousand year old vampire who has at last found her mate, and the urge had been so seductive that I just had to give in, and while it satisfied me on all kinds of levels that my mate not only wore my scent like she did her skin, my mark was clear for all to see that this amazingly beautiful, feisty, sometimes irrational woman was all mine.

"Get off me Irina-" Heidi hissed yet again, I winced at the brusque note in her voice before I pressed my thigh firmly against the wet pad of her pussy yet again, this had sort off become my fall back position, I didn't like the sound of her voice and I really didn't want to get into an argument with her so I figured if I kept her focused on her arousal then maybe I could avoid it, Heidi moaned loudly when I rubbed my thigh against her clit, I growled when the scent of her renewed arousal flooded my senses, God she smelled so sweet and addictive and she was mine, I still couldn't believe it "No, no more, nada, I'm cutting you off" Heidi suddenly rolled us over and she was across the room in a flash, I instantly missed her warmth, I scowled softly, _"I'm cutting you off" _she couldn't be serious.

"Baby..." I trailed off when she pulled her skirt down, covering her bare pussy from my gaze, I sat up and tensed to get to my feet when she spoke.

"Why didn't you ask?-" Heidi growled, she was almost glowing in the afterglow of the many orgasms I'd been giving her over the past couple of hours, her ruby red eyes were shinning vividly, her hair was mused and had that "I've just been fucked" look, I felt myself smile unconsciously "-Fuck, are you even listening to me?"

"Yes baby, its just that...I needed to-" I quickly got to my feet and shrugged softly "-It was instinctive and if you felt insulted or violated then I'm sorry" I apologised, to be honest, I probably could've handled it better, had a little more self control.

"Prove it-" I frowned softly, prove it, how? "-Let me mark you too" I nearly started purring in happiness, I would love to wear her mark, I do so proudly, she was mine and I was hers and I wanted our whole species to know it.

"Fine, come here" I reached up and gathered all my thick white blonde hair and pulled it over one shoulder before tilting my head to the side, exposing my neck for her, I smirked when I saw her eyes widen, had she honestly expected me to say 'no'?, I rolled my eyes. She walked across the room slowly, tentatively like she was scared I'd change my mind, I smiled lovingly when she was in reach, I forced myself to stay absolutely still, while she leaned forward and placed her hands on my hips, I cleared my throat and waited patiently when all I wanted to do was grab the back of her head and force her to sink those sharp little teeth into my neck.

"Come on little one-" I urged softly, I bit my lower lip when I felt her press her body into mine, the softness of her body was so delicious and curvy "-Fucking do it already" I hissed when she struck like a serpent, her teeth split through my skin at the crook of my neck, the sharp pain was nothing compared to the feeling of serenity that took over me, in that moment I truly felt complete, my other half had finally accepted me, I reached up and buried my hands in her long mane of mahogany coloured hair and pulled her closer to me.

"Come on baby, do it harder" I whispered, groaning lightly when she took full advantage, she clamped down on my neck and sucked hard, it was like someone had lit a fire in my lower abdomen, all of a sudden I felt so freaking sensitive that even the light material of my shirt was irritating my entire torso let alone my generous breasts and I was abruptly _very _aware of the seam of my slacks pressing into my wet pussy, ever since I'd first buried my fingers inside her quivering depths I'd needed to find release but this was beyond just release, this was a burning primal need to feel my mate moving inside me.

"Whoa God dammit Irina you were supposed to calm her down not make her all...She Ra" Heidi jerked away from me, though I retained my hold on her hair, forcing her to stay pressed against me while I turned to find Felix in the doorway with his mouth hanging open, at least he wasn't aroused, if he was aroused then I knew I'd flip out, badly.

"Oh honey don't worry about that, I bat for the other side, know what I mean" Felix waggled his eyebrows suggestively, I was pretty sure my jaw just hit the floor, how could Felix, six-foot-four, muscle bound so very male Felix be...gay.

"Get out Felix" Heidi growled reaching around my waist to cup my backside, I stifled a moan when she kneaded my ass slowly.

"Would if I could, Marcus is in the country...well hes heading to Alaska and then hes coming here and hes already phoned ahead and said he wants Irina home" Felix explained, I stiffened in rejection, I was _not _leaving Heidi, even if the entire Volturi guard showed up and tried to drag me away from her.

"Its not going to happen Felix" Heidi said in a determined voice.

"Well Hellion I can see that, but no one else is"

"Get me a phone" I growled at the younger vampire, Felix held his hands up before stalking out the room.

"If I asked, would you come home with me?" I asked gently, looking Heidi in the eyes.

"Are you asking?" Heidi tilted her head in question, I smiled dotingly.

"Hell yes" I purred.

"I..."

"Hold those thoughts people" Felix flashed into the room with _Bella's _phone, how did he get that?. I took it from him when he held it out, I ignored my first question and filled through the contacts until I found Kate's number, I brought the phone up to my ear and listened to the dialling tone.

"Hello?"

"Hey sister" I greeted while keeping my hold on Heidi, I started at the stone wall instead of at Heidi, I didn't want to see her expression, would she come with me and what would I do if she didn't, family loyalty was everything to me but Heidi was my mate the one I was made for, my everything.

"Irina! When are you coming home?" Kate yelled over the line.

"I'll be a few hours maybe"

"Awesome, I've been missing you sister, who else am I going to play poker with?"

"Thats all you been missing?, my sick poker skills?" I teased.

"Well no, no I also miss watching you fight with Tanya over meaningless crap like the TV remote and _Vogue _and _Runway_"

"I'm so glad I amuse you"

"Yeah you do, but seriously Ri, hurry up and get your butt back here, where you belong"

"Yeah well, I was wondering if I could bring some people back"

"Like who?"

"Felix?-" I looked over to the hulking vampire, who grinned widely just as Chelsea gracefully waltzed into the room "-Chelsea?" the ancient blonde vampire thought for a moment before nodding, I felt dread pool in my gut when I finally looked down at Heidi, she smiled brightly before brushing her lips gently across mine, if anyone asked me to fly right now I think I might actually be able to.

"And Heidi-" Kate prompted in my ear, I made a affirmative sound in the back of my throat "All right, we'll be anxiously awaiting your return" I smirked at the sarcastic note in her voice before saying my 'good-byes'.

"All right lets go home" I smiled at them.

**Jane's POV.**

The run to the old house took less than half an hour since I'd decided to slow my pace half way here, mostly cause I was bricking this I mean, yes, I want to be Jacob's mate in all things but ah, the man wasn't going to be small and it had been a long time and I mean a really long time, like almost six years ago. But there was no turning back now, not when I could smell the musty scent of Jacob's arousal from just outside the door, I could already feel a steady heat building between my thighs, like my body knew that its mate was in close proximity, I steeled my spine and pushed the door open, a slight scuffling sound alerted me that Jacob was upstairs, with inhuman speed I jogged upstairs and went into Jacob's old room, when I stood in the doorway I was shocked to find nothing there, his old room was still fully furnished but no Jacob, I stepped into the bedroom and inhaled deeply, just as the bedroom door slammed shut behind me, I didn't have to turn around to know that it was Jacob behind me, I could feel it with every fibre of my being as well as the fact it felt like I had a furnace heating me.

"Take off the shirt" His voice was strained, rough with his demanding sexuality, well that was a hell of a way to greet your mate, I scowled and turned to face him, he was dressed only in a pair of jeans that were hugging the massive bulge between his thighs that seemed to grow larger as he came closer, yep that bastard was not going to fit, I'm pretty sure of that, maybe.

"Say the magic word" I smirked up at him, his expression was intent almost furious as he stalked closer to me, his eyes were darker than normal in his tan face, and his heart beat was pounding in my ears, I felt my breathing becoming heavier as I licked my lips in anticipation. With his looming presence in front of me I was tempted to back away from him, but looking at his broad heavily muscled chest and shoulders I could feel excitement burning through my veins, this wasn't going to be about stating an urge, this was going to be a mating, there would be no more running or denials.

"I came here to protect you and you were stupid enough to follow me Jane, now lose the fucking shirt" the aggressive note in his voice was what prompted me into action I crossed my arms over my chest and drew my shirt my head with a languid movement, I dropped my shirt to the floor leaving me completely bare as I chosen against wearing a bra, his pupils flared slightly and he suddenly reached out, but I chose to side step his touch, ignoring his frustrated growl I sauntered over to the bed while swaying my hips seductively, if this was going to be about domination then he was going to have to learn that I will only submit to him in some things and sex wasn't going to be one of them. Jacob followed me and while I sat on the edge of the bed, placing me at the same level as his intimidating erection, his eyes narrowed and his hands went to the snaps of his jeans, I nearly smirked but I kept my impassiveness about me while slowly bringing my hands up, I cupped my breasts slowly, grazing my fingers across my nipples as I arched my breasts towards him, the move was meant to entice, I smiled when his upper lip drew back in a snarl. I licked my lips and watched as the unbelievably thick length of his cock emerged from the openings of his jeans, I swallowed hard, realising that the impressive length had to be at least _eleven_ inches, and I wouldn't be able to even encircle half the thick width with my hand, son of a bitch it was never going to fit.

"Strip Jane" Jacob ordered, the grumble of his voice was like a sensual rasp over my nerve endings, making me shiver. I stood up and placed my hand on the centre of his chest, God he was so hot, it couldn't be comfortable, I reached down and undid the front of my slacks, grabbing them and my thong I dragged them down to my knees and shimmied out of every stitch of clothing I had on, I felt unnervingly vulnerable like this but that didn't stop the tingle of pure heat that was running from the centre of my body up along my spine and to my hardened nipples.

"You do know that I'm not going to submit to you all the time right?" I asked suddenly while he just trailed his dark eyes over my naked body.

"Yes you will, I will have you on your knees, your lips wrapped around my cock until I cum inside your hot mouth. And when I've given you my first load there, I lay you on your stomach and stretch that tight little asshole until I fill you with more of my seed, and we both know I'm still going to be hard after that-" Jacob shoved his jeans down his powerful thighs and stepped free of them "-Then I'll raise your hips and fuck that hot little pussy until your body is pulsing with so many orgasms that you'll beg me to stop"

"Really, and ah, what is to stop me from doing this-" I attempted to duck under his arm to put some space between us, but unfortunately he grabbed my arm and had me on my knees before him in two seconds flat, his hands anchored my shoulders holding me still, so even if I did want to struggle it wasn't going to do much.

"You had the chance to stay away, but here you are and I'll be damned if I'll let you refuse me any longer-" He snarled as one hand left my shoulders to grip my jaw holding me still as he poised the thick flared head of his cock at my lips, I couldn't help but feel a little thrilled at this new animistic side of Jacob, it was like his wolf had taken over "-Open your mouth" He growled, and pressed the head of his cock to my damp lips, I opened my mouth as wide as I could, but he was so big it felt like my lips were being bruised, he pushed in until I had about four inches of his large cock overfilling my mouth and I could feel the tip pressing into the back of my throat, thank God I'd said goodbye to my gag reflex after I was turned. His fingers dug into my jaw causing a dull pain which I in turn punished him for by refusing to tighten my lips on him, instead I caressed him with slow, easy strokes with my tongue, the low snarl that broke free of his chest had my body tightening as his cock jerked in my mouth, Jacob pulled the thick length free of my mouth only to push it back in with a forceful plunge. The thick shaft stretched my lips, seared me with its heat. I drew on it with a slow, lazy sucking motion of my lips, while staring up at him, watching his face contort in pleasure. His hands were suddenly in my hair, kneading my scalp, I moaned around his thick erection, the feel of it stroking in shallow thrusts in my mouth, my position, the dominance in him combined was making my clit begin to pulse with need. His balls tightened against the base of his cock and a harsh male groan filled my ears when I licked him from base to tip but I only sucked the heavily veined shaft with light pressure, knowing how insane it would drive him.

"Suck it Jane" he growled at me while his hands tightened in my hair, I smiled around the tip of his cock and reached out to cut his heavily sac while he groaned above me. I wrapped my hands around as much of the base as I could and brought them up and down his thick shaft while I lapped at the head.

"No more teasing" He snarled down at me erotically as he pushed his cock almost to my throat, I began to suckle him deeper and continued swirling my tongue around the tip of his erection, he started pulling his hips back and thrusting them forward in a hard desperate rhythm, groaning with each powerful thrust, I moaned around his shaft, I wanted to taste him, wanted to hear his desperate cries as he pulsed and spurted his seed into the waiting depths of my mouth. He was pumping harder and faster now while I continued to suck him, a low agonized growl tore from his throat as his breathing became harsh and deep, perspiration dotted his forehead, his hands were fisted tightly in my hair, clenching in the silken strands, I swallowed suddenly and he pushed against me desperately, his body was trembling until I felt the first hard blast of his semen spurt down into my mouth and down my throat, he practically howled above me as he orgasmed long and hard, filling my mouth with the hard jets of his seed. I still refused to ease the soft strokes of my tongue, his body shuddered each time I licked the throbbing head, until he pulled his still steel hard cock free of my lips with a wet _pop._ He reached down and pulled me to my feet by my shoulders.

"Mine" His voice was rough and demanding, I rested my hands on his muscle bound chest and smirked up at him.

"So prove it"

**Bella's POV.**

Marcus I found later on in a large clearing in the forest looked very similar to Caius only whereas Caius had white blonde hair, Marcus's was the colour of coal, and just like his brother he was dressed in a black silk suit that spoke volumes as far as the Volturi bank balance went. I shifted softly on my feet, eager to get back to the house, why was it whenever me and Rose were about to have sex we get interrupted or I end up having to take a phone call or...going to meet someone who was supposedly responsible for saving me when I was completely helpless.

"Hello Bella" Marcus greeted gently, he was clearly nervous while I didn't really know how I felt about him, of course I was grateful for him saving my butt but other than that...nothing.

"Marcus" I nodded gently when he stopped just in front of me while Esme and Victoria deliberately gave us a lot of space, I didn't know why they didn't just leave already, god I feel like a kid all over again about to go to school for the first time with my parents hovering annoyingly.

"Well um, I guess you want to know about your parents and what happened-" Marcus muttered softly, I nodded softly, as much as I loved Charlie and Rene I'd always gotten the sense that there was something missing, like I was there but I wasn't supposed to be "-Well you already know about Caius's lapse in judgement..." Marcus started.

"Don't you mean lapse in sanity?" I drawled sarcastically, while I sympathised with the man, losing your mate didn't justify senseless killing, even Maria could see that but I had to admit Caius was slowly growing on me and I trusted him to a certain degree, I mean I wouldn't trust him to be alone with Rose, but then again I would trust anyone else with my mate or our child, which was another thing that irritated me about having to leave her, in a few days Rose would have our baby and I didn't want to miss a thing...mood swings or anything else, though damn she was scary when she got pissed off.

"Yes I supposed you could say that" If Marcus could blush he'd be the colour of a tomato, I could tell by the way he lowered his eyes from mine and shifted on the balls of his feet, huh I never knew a vampire could fidget "-You have to understand Bella, your parents only wanted what was best for you"

"So they left me with humans for my own benefit" I sneered, what had I not been good enough for them, come on they were fae for Christ sake surely they could've found a way to keep me with them and keep me safe, though I couldn't image being raised any differently I was hurt that my birth parents had given me up without at least trying.

"No that was my idea, you see, the fae were ordered by your mother to leave Caius alone because she felt somewhat responsible I suppose for his mates death, your kind have been hunted to the edge of extinction, there are still a few fae alive today but they are incredible hard to find"

"My mother ordered the fae, what was she some kind of-"

"She was their princess as well as their ambassador-" Marcus interrupted, my mouth snapped shut suddenly, I don't know what I expected to find out about my parents but that wasn't it "-Technically she was to be the overall ruler of the vampire population as well after all we vampires are only here today because the fae needed us"

"Okay moment to take that in please" I scowled at him, what was he thinking you don't just drop those kind of bombshells on someone one after another unless you want to napalm them.

"Bella I'm afraid I don't have much time, Aro is expecting me to call him from our safe-house in Mexico in just under an hour"

"Whoa, so what your saying is that I'm..."

"The rightful ruler of the vampire race"

"Would you stop interrupting me" I snapped

"I apologise"

"You did it again"

"Bella would you let the man explain" Victoria growled, I pursed my lips and nodded, it wasn't his fault that my parents were freaking _royalty._

"Well in a nutshell Bella, Aro is responsible for...f-for my mate's death but if I were to out right kill him then I would be hunted by the rest of the Volturi guard and I'm not strong enough to take them all on"

"So you want me to..." This has like a dream, first the man tells me my mother was the fae princess and now he wants me to kill Aro when all I want is to raise my child with my mate in peace, I didn't want any of this.

"I just want you to take the throne when we make our move"

"'We'?"

"Me and Caius, you see he was very close to Didyme, well everyone was but he knows what its like to lose the one"

"Regardless this has nothing to do with me"

"Yes it does, you're the only one with the authority and the physical power to take command of the Volturi guard"

"I didn't ask for it!"

"But you nevertheless have it and I'm asking you to do something with it" the man had guts, I'd give him that but where did he get off making this sort of demand, he lost his mate, I had no idea how painfully that could be but this wasn't my fight.

"You know all I want is to have a good life with my mate, I don't want to rule over a fucking nation" I growled.

"So you will do nothing?" Marcus's jaw clenched tightly.

"If and when he threatens my family-"

"He already has or do you call kidnapping Victoria and Irina nothing!" I looked over my shoulder to find Victoria glaring at Marcus, he had a point, Aro had kidnapped my mentor.

"Do you want me to do this?" I asked the red head, Victoria's eyes snapped to mine.

"This is your decision Bells, its not mine and I can't help you with it either" Victoria shrugged and pulled Esme closer to her.

"Thanks V" I muttered, Victoria shrugged again.

"Let me talk to Rose about this" I spoke gently to Marcus, the older vampire nodded in acceptance.

"Thank you"

"Don't thank me yet, I said I'd talk to Rose, if she doesn't want me to do anything then I won't" I pointed out before turning on my heel and walking through the rocky clearing and into the forest, all I could hear was the soft movements of small animals and insects as I moved silently towards the mansion, suddenly I sensed Maria moving rapidly towards me, I smiled gently, I hadn't taken her seriously about this whole 'I'm going keep annoying you until I get my way' thing but here she was, almost three feet away from me.

"Hello Maria" I greeted the latina when she came bounding through the trees.

"Okay so you've obviously got more acute senses than we do" Maria spoke more to herself than to me as we started walking side by side.

"Why are you so intent on finding out what I am?" I asked suddenly.

"Because I like being in the know, you know?" I chuckled to myself at her droll tone.

"Yeah I do, kinda"

"So how did the big meeting go anyways"

"Well I found out what my parents were"

"Uh huh and?"

"He asked me to..."

"To?"

"Never mind its not important"

"Okay then can I ask you something that is important?"

"Shoot"

"How did you get your girlfriend pregnant?"

"Shes not my girlfriend, shes my mate, theres a difference"

"You're avoiding the question"

"You know I'm thinking maybe the condom split" I smirked sarcastically, Maria snickered softly.

"I will find out" Maria smiled.

"Well when you do feel free to reveal all to me cause I don't know how this thing works"

"Thats gotta suck"

"It does but what are you gonna do?"

"Search me" Maria muttered, suddenly a soft breeze caused me to pick up a distant scent, I stopped and inhaled deeply trying to judge whether I should be worried or not.

"Whats up?" Maria asked concerned.

"Irina" I smirked and took off at a jog towards the Canadian border.

"Hold up, whats the big deal?" Maria yelled barely keeping up with me.

"Shes not alone"

**Tanya's POV.**

Oh I'm a dumbass, I'm a stupid, stupid, big mouth idiot, who insults their man's macho-ness seriously, and well...uch I couldn't believe I had said that, had it just been a spur of the moment combined with my big mouth, well it didn't really matter right now, all that mattered was making sure that Jasper didn't hate me...entirely, and I wasn't above grovelling, I loved the Texan and if he wanted to see me beg well then I was just going to have to suck it up, Mmm 'suck it up' maybe a blow job is in order?. I rolled my eyes at myself before reaching for the golden doorknob and pushing the large oak door open, I found Jasper instantly, he was sprawled out on our bed watching an old documentary about the civil war.

"Hi" Jeez I've always prided myself on my people's skills but that was ridiculous, maybe I should try again.

"Hey" Mmm thanks for giving me something to work with baby, I though sarcastically.

"You know I was just fucking around right?-" Oh lies, oh well its not like Sasha is here to beat me to a pulp, ignoring the pang in my chest, that I always felt when my mother's name came up I walked over to the bed and sat down on the side, tough Jasper kept her eyes firmly trained on the TV "-What have I got to do to show you how sorry I am?", uh oh, the glint that suddenly twinkled in his eyes was beyond scary and a little arousing.

"As it happens I've already though of something"

"Anything"

"You gotta go without sex for two months, no touchin', no fantasisin', no nothin' then I'll forgive ya" Jasper smirked to himself.

"Thats impossible!" I exploded suddenly, he couldn't be serious, could he?, come one I _need _a healthy sex life and two months without would be like hell to me...shit am I addicted, nah.

"Honey you insulted my manhood-"

"I take it back!"

"Sorry suga, this is the only way"

"God's sake I'd rather you just fuck me for a few days in a row" I whimpered, oh yeah that would be preferable.

"I know ya would which is why I'm not gonna do it-" Jasper smirked at me "-Now shut it and watch this with me" I groaned pitifully before shifting so I could lean against the pillows next to him.

"What about snuggling?" I asked hopefully, there was no way I could just sit here and not snuggle into him.

"If ya think ya can control yourself darlin'" I eagerly moved over and threw my arm across his muscular waist while his arm went around my shoulders, I rested my head on his chest and simply inhaled his scent.

"Did you just accuse me of being a nympho?" I blurted out suddenly.

**Felix's POV**

"So what are your intentions with my sister?" I asked Irina when we passed the Canadian border, I was only being half serious because I knew how feisty Heidi could be, I risked a look behind me and found Heidi and Chelsea deep in conversation which was a good thing, Heidi would kill me if she thought I was interfering.

"Well I was thinking about getting her pregnant and running away from the responsibility" Irina sneered, I couldn't help but chuckle softly at the annoyance I could detect in her tone, maybe I should've kept my mouth shut.

"I'm being serious Irina" I prompted.

"So am I, unless I intentionally hurt her then keep your nose out of our business" Irina snapped, Mm her mood had been darkening with every kilometre, I wonder what was wrong with her, I slowed down and started running close to Heidi and Chelsea.

"Something is bothering her" I reported to my sisters, both of which just shot me a 'Duh' look.

"Why do you think I'm not running with her, she started losing her conversational skills and then just started growling at me so..." Heidi trailed off.

"Honestly you two, do you not remember Laurent?, the man thinks shes his mate" Chelsea pointed out while Heidi snarled angrily.

"Don't worry Hellion when I find him I intend on having a little word with him" The kind that involved my fists.

"Felix I appreciate the sentiment but leave this to me" Heidi spoke gently.

"Yeah now we're talking, what are you gonna do, boil him in oil, set Jane on him, I miss that midget" I sighed dramatically.

"Felix!" Chelsea growled at me.

"Sorry I meant I miss my short stack" I apologised.

"Don't let her hear you say that" Heidi warned, while just up ahead Irina had stopped running and she was scenting the area, when we caught up with her she was crouched slightly and her upper lip was curled up in a silent snarl.

"Mmm God she looks hot like that" Heidi whispered to me while Chelsea confidently walked over to Irina.

"Whats wrong Irina?" Chelsea whispered gently her petite frame was tenses slightly.

"Someone is getting closer" Irina hissed, how could we not sense it, huh maybe it was the fact that Irina had just mated, sometimes a vampire's senses would be heightened afterwards so they could protect their mate more effectively.

"I can sense it too" Heidi commented from beside me, suddenly there was a rustling up ahead, I bent my knees and leaned forward ready to fight if needs be.

"Don't worry, its Bella" Irina sighed and straightened just as the fae in question came bounding through the trees.

"'Don't worry its just Bella', I could've killed you all twelve different times in the last four minutes-" The fae in question pointed out when she suddenly appeared in front of us, seriously like one second she wasn't there and the next she was "-You are all extremely heavy on your feet I thought we had a hard of elephants stampeding through"

"Hey we might be a runaway carnival ride but that was just low" I drawled.

"Sorry but its true"

"Well if you weren't fae ya wouldn't have heard us anyway" Irina mentioned.

"Uch don't even mentioned the word to me, I've had enough of it-" Bella growled "-Anyway we should all get going-" Irina nodded and started running again with Chelsea and Heidi close on her heels "-By the way Felix, your um, 'short stack' isn't here right now" Bella smirked when we both took off after the others.

"Aww man"

**Rosalie's POV.**

"So hows mated life going Ali?" I murmured to my sister when she dropped onto the couch beside me, we were watching the cooking channel and I was happily eating a tub of B and J with nan bread, what can I say my baby had some weird cravings that even I found disturbing but what was I gonna do, deny my baby, nuh uh not going to happen Bella can be the strict one.

"I'm thinking about asking her to marry me after the whole 'mating season' thing-" I nearly choked on the strawberry flavoured ice cream, Alice smiled while I coughed slightly "-Well there isn't any point beating around the bush and I can't mark her like I would another vampire cause of the whole my venom is poisonous to her thing so I thought why the hell not, I love her and I want to show it" Alice sighed dreamily.

"So this has nothing to do with the fact that you get to plan the big day?" I smiled knowingly.

"Whoa!, I'm not..." I arched my eyebrow at her "...I've already got it planned" Alice admitted after a few seconds of me giving her the 'look', I grinned at just how typical my sister could be sometimes just as the door to the living room opened to reveal my beloved and she had company, I placed my ice cream on the coffee table and dragged myself off the couch and smiled frostily at the Ex-Volturi plus Irina filling the doorway.

"Hi baby" Bella smiled and wrapped her strong arms around me.

"Hey honey" I smiled lovingly at her.

"Heidi my partner in crime" Alice grinned when she noticed the voluptuous vampire next to Irina.

"Pixie pest" Heidi grinned fondly, I looked at Bella asking a silent question.

"Well I think our family just that much bigger" Bella smiled at me, I opened my mouth before closing it again.

"Well don't all rush to ask me when the baby is due at once" that was as close as a welcome they were going to get because I didn't know if this was just a ploy and the maternal side of me wasn't entirely happy with these possible threats being so close to my unborn child, when everyone was seated on the couches I couldn't help but notice that Irina's hand was on Heidi's thigh, obviously I had been missing something.

"How did it go?" I asked Bella quietly.

"Can we talk about it later?" I nodded gently, content to do as she'd asked, hell if Bella wanted me to stop the sun from rising I'd find a way to make it so.

"So ah, does that mean what I think it means" I tilted my head towards Irina's hand, Irina grinned happily and Heidi snuggled into her side with a soft resounding purr.

"What about Laurent?" Alice asked frowning slightly.

"Uch why does everyone keep asking _me _that, hes not my mate, hes not anything to me" Irina growled.

"Play nice Irina" Bella snapped back at her, I turned to look at Bella, her eyes were dark and her body was corded with tension, I scowled softly, what had Marcus said to her?.

"Maybe you should try to keep your distance" I suggested.

"I stay away from him if he stays away from me" Irina conceded.

"Isn't this guy supposed to be obsessed with her though" Felix butted in, suddenly I heard the sounds of a large car approaching the house at a dangerous speed.

"Its Eleazar and Carmen" Bella pointed out.

"I'm gonna go help them" Alice opted before flashing out the room.

"Anyway about Laurent..." Bella continued.

"Its called 'Non rei syndrome'" Eleazar announced flashing into the room with three large duffel bags.

"-We get those?"

"-Whats it mean?"

"-How do I get rid of him?" Me, Bella and Irina all spoke in perfect synch much to Felix's amusement, I smiled gently while he laughed soundly, he was almost like Emmett only bigger.

"Well um, Irina you can't just 'get rid of him' as you so delicately put it, I thought Tanya had explained this..."

"Yeah if you call 'Laurent has turned in a wacko' a good explanation" I smirked remembering that particular exchange.

"Argh, basically Laurent wants a mate so bad that his body is simulating the signs" Eleazar looked around at us, I felt my face drop, poor Laurent that was just-

"So I what do you mean I can't get rid of him?" Irina asked.

"The only thing that is going to snap him out of this phase is finding his real mate and unfortunately that is impossible" Eleazar answered.

"Well you can all go fuck yourselves if you think I'm gonna pretend for his benefit" Irina growled while Heidi started nuzzling her neck comfortingly.

"We're not suggesting that you do...just handle the situation with care will you?" I reasoned.

"How do you suggest I do that?, if I play it your way he'll just convince himself that I'm doing this to get at him...I'm sorry but sometimes you've gotta be cruel to be kind" Irina didn't actually seem sorry but whatever, why was I even involving myself in this it wasn't my business.

"I understand your need to set the record straight but, it will kill him to hear this and I think this calls for some finesse" Eleazar tried to reason with the agitated vampire, I swear if Heidi wasn't glued to Irina's side the Russian vampire would've torn the place apart by now.

"Then you fucking tell him" Irina snapped.

"Why don't you let me do it" I interrupted, gaining everyone's attention "-What I mean is, you want to cut him lose and I don't particularly want to see him hurt so let me do it"

"No way!-" Bella instantly rejected the idea, I frowned at her slightly "-What if he flips out and tries to hurt you?"

"Bella I'm pregnant, not helpless" I replied curtly.

"Its not gonna happen"

"Don't argue with me"

"I'm not arguing, I just don't want you to..."

"ENOUGH!-" I closed my mouth when Irina snarled loudly "-Fine I'll do it, but none of you get the right to dictate how I do so-" Mmm I could just see how that one was going to go down, 'Hey Laurent I'm not you mate now leave me alone or I'll smash a TV over your head, Buh-bye' "-Deal?" Irina prompted.

"Deal-" Bella answered "-Can we talk now?" I nodded slightly when Bella spoke, there was no point arguing with her, she'd win anyway, Dammit I'm whipped.

**TBC. . .**

**AN: Alright I leave it there, and I have no idea when I'll be updating again because I have so much course work piling up its like I have a little mountain steadily emerging next to me, til next time. And I'm giving you some more Jacob and Jane action, just a heads up ;)**

**Oh and I was thinking about making Felix Laurent's mate are you guys on board with that?.**


	26. Chapter 26

Title: Coming Home

Pairing(s): Bella/Rosalie, Leah/Alice, Victoria/Esme, Tanya/Jasper, Emmett/Kate, Alec/Seth, Jane/Jacob.

Rating: M.

Disclaimer: Nothing is mine it all belongs to Stephanie Meyer.

Summary: The Cullens left in new moon, Victoria changed Bella, together along with Seth, Jacob and Leah they've lived in Forks for over a century, what happens when the Cullens come back?.

**AN: I know its been ages since the last update but I've had a load of work to do, and I didn't even think I'd be able to get this chapter up today. Okay then I just wanna thank everyone for the reviews, your thoughts and opinions mean alot even though I'm still not sure what I'm gonna do with Felix, but oh well, heres your update, I hope you enjoy.**

**Chapter twenty six, Demetri's POV.**

Where the hell is everyone, I couldn't hear any movement throughout the house nor could I scent anyone save for the distinctive smell of Edward-fucking-Cullen, God that shit was like baby power, overly sweet and it irritated my nose like hay-fever. I pushed the door to the main room in our safe house open to find non other than the bronze haired dickhead sat on the couch watching some classic music channel I had to admit the songs were soothing and the look of awe on his face was absolutely comical but why wasn't Heidi in here hogging the remote and making us all watch one of her recorded fashion programmes. I had been hunting for the past several hours and when I'd left Chelsea had been in the process of subtly getting rid of fuckward, obviously that shit had gone downhill.

"Where is everyone?" I hated asking him something but this was important, if Marcus showed up and Chelsea was no where to be seen I was going to get my ass fried when I got back to Volterra and there was no way I was taking Aro's tantrum for her, unless she was willing to 'compromise', I smirked to myself at the thought, ever since I'd been turned I had tried to get into her pants but she wouldn't even give me the time of day unless one of the masters ordered it, snobby bitch.

"I kicked them out" Edward smirked smugly and leaned back in the couch before lifting his feet and placing them on the glass coffee table, a picture of arrogance.

"Really?" I drawled walking through the large square room over to the door that led to our bedrooms and Irina's cell, I couldn't detect anything, not even a slight disturbance in the air, I didn't need to go down there to know that wherever they were they weren't here or anywhere close or I'd have scented them on my way back to the safe house, I walked back into the front room to find Edward humming to himself, why couldn't he do something normal like play on the X-box, listen to some decent music or pretend to be human and go on facebook for crying out loud!.

"Yes really, why do you need a demonstration?" Edward stood up and glared at me in what I suppose was meant to be a threatening way, I dunno but it looked like he was pursing his lips in thought.

"Yeah maybe I do" I snarled dangerously, he blanched and sat back down hastily, fucking pussy, if he was gonna make a threat he should at least try to follow through with it, never mind I couldn't afford to waste my time with this pansy ass motherfucker I had some wayward vampires to track down.

"Hello Demetri" I stun on my heel into a crouch ready to attack the intruder until I got a load of who it was standing in the doorway.

"Marcus-" I quickly straightened and clasped my hands together in front of me praying by all the Gods that still listened to us that by some miracle Heidi and Chelsea would come flying through the door with Irina and Felix in tow, no such luck though and if I didn't know any better Marcus already had a good idea of what had gone on here "-We weren't expecting you until..." Shit when had he been scheduled to arrive, Chelsea had taken charge of the situation as usual.

"Actually you will find that I was expected almost twenty minutes ago but I got distracted by some rather delectable latina's, I hope Aro will forgive my impudence" I took that as a sign that he wanted my phone, so I reached into the front pocket of my slacks and pulled it out before offering it to the elder vampire.

"Thank you Demetri" Marcus took the phone quickly and scanned through my contacts until he found Aro near the top. While Marcus started explaining his lateness to his brother I walked around the couch and grabbed Edward by his scrawny shoulder and the front of his expensive shirt before dragging him out the room and into the narrow corridor leading towards our bedrooms, his struggles were useless and the few blows he managed to land against my chest felt like someone was taking a fly swatter to my chest instead, seriously how had this bastard managed to live this long?.

"All right you little shit where are they?" I slammed him up against the stone wall, loving the resounding crack of his body making contact with the hard granite.

"I don't know, they left a couple of hours ago" Edward whimpered softly, fucking disgusting, he was a vampire for fuck's sake and here he was whimpering like a damn child.

"Now was that so difficult" I let go of him just as Marcus sauntered into the narrow corridor.

"He was very interested when I told him Heidi and Chelsea weren't here-" Marcus drawled in his maddeningly clam voice, I cleared my throat trying to come up with an excuse until I managed to track them down, hunting maybe, or a spa day, Heidi was always going on and on about spa's, personally I couldn't see the appeal, must be a chick thing "-And from the lack of commotion going on I assume Felix isn't here either" I clenched my teeth together a dread filled my gut like a led weight, if I don't get them back soon I'm fucked, I just knew it.

"They're..."

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but I did inform you that I was coming here did I not?"

"Yes"

"So where are the rest of you?"

"I don't know, but I promise you I'll find out" Even if I had to track them across continents.

"Yes Demetri you will, and you will take Edward with you"

"What!" I yelled incredulously, I'd rather he just gouge my eyes out, or cut me into thousands of little pieces and set me on fire than be stuck with..._that._

"Demetri I find him terribly annoying so you will take him with you, now go"

"As you wish, come on dickless" I growled over my shoulder.

"Are you referring to me?" Edward scowled.

"Yeah I am, got a problem with that?" I looked over my shoulder at him and arched my eyebrow mockingly, he looked like he was going to go into a rant about how superior he was but then he just looked down at his feet, I smirked in satisfaction before stalking past Marcus, heading for the exit with Edward following like a lost puppy, the imbecile.

**Irina's POV.**

"Full-fucking-house" Kate grinned and laid down her cards on the dining room table, I smirked, letting my poker face drop.

"I got that beat" I tossed my cards onto the table and leaned back in my chair, bringing my feet up to rest my boots on the priceless antique's surface, thank God Sasha wasn't here or I'd get my butt kicked, _hard._

"Four aces!" Kate hissed in defeat and let her head drop onto the table with a loud thud, I grinned at the classic pose, if Kate couldn't beat me then she tried distracting me with her personal style of pouting, it was even worse when we were human though, that shit actually worked on me until I caught on to what she was doing.

"Hey sisters need another player?" Tanya breathed gently and dropped into the seat at the head of the table, with me on her right and Kate on her left.

"Yeah!, then it won't look so bad when we both lose to her" Kate announced happily before gathering all the cards and shuffling then at supernatural speed.

"How many times have you beaten her Ri?"

"Um I haven't actually been keeping count but its gotta be like, a hundred"

"How did I miss all the 'you 'effing cheat" accusations that you two normally toss around?" Tanya frowned and picked up her cards when Kate finished dealing the silver and gold backed cards out.

"Cause you were too busy accusing Jasper of calling you a nympho" I grinned, remembering the sound of smashing objects, more than likely the old collection of vases that we bought back in the day that Tanya had shot-gunned and stashed in her room never to be seen again.

"He did!" Tanya growled.

"And you are!" Kate laughed when Tanya hissed at her, there was no real heat behind the hiss but Tanya hated it when people called her things like, 'loose', 'slut', and 'nympho' was the biggest no go there was after what had happened when we were still human, I could feel a shiver of disgust running up and down my back at the memory, I only tolerated my sisters calling me anything like that because they knew exactly how it felt to have your pig father come into your room at night with his 'friends', to see just how well developed we were.

"Well shouldn't you two just call it even now, you insulted the size of his dick and he might of insinuated that you were a little..."

"'Might'?, there was no 'might' there Ri" Tanya snapped before picking up one of the cards from the deck and gauging what she could do with it, after tossing a card away, it was Kate's turn.

"Well you could always tell him about it, and that goes for both of you" I gave a pointed look at Kate who ducked her head.

"Its not an issue in my relationship" Kate replied after tossing a card away.

"Do you really think that you can spend the rest of eternity with Emmett and not tell him?" I arched an eyebrow at her, while picking a card up, Mmm now that I could use, I tossed away and looked back at my sisters.

"Like I said, its not an issue and it happened like a thousand years ago" Kate growled while Tanya nodded in agreement.

"Are you gonna tell Heidi?" Tanya asked me.

"After I've dealt with this Laurent business, cause unlike you two, I want Heidi to know everything about me including all that shit"

"Aren't you scared that she'll look at you differently?" I looked up and found Kate nibbling on her lower lip with her eyes downcast, so that was what she was worried about.

"No, shes my mate, the keeper of my soul and all that other mushy crap, she'll understand"

"-Sister you're so deep and poetic sometimes" Tanya teased.

"-I'm gonna quote you on that" Kate promised while I just grinned when they spoke in perfect synch, we'd done that a lot when we were younger and we'd even finished each other's sentences, it had kinda freaked our mother out, right up to where she'd ran off with the town's blacksmith.

"Yes I am and please do-" I smirked when they nodded in acceptance "-All right sisters show me your cards"

"Two pair" Tanya placed a pair of jacks on the table.

"I got three" Kate got away with three Queens.

"I really hate to say this-"

"If you got aces again I'll-" Kate interrupted.

"-But I got aces" I finished ignoring Kate.

"Oh its on now" I grinned and spread my arms wide in invitation, Kate took the invitation and leapt across the table, I used my vampire's speed at the last second and vaulted out my chair over the blurred form of Kate and settled in her chair just as she landed on the other side.

"You're gonna have to pay for that" I remarked when my previous chair splintered into a thousand pieces under Kate's weight and the awkward position she'd landed in.

"Must you provoke her?" Tanya asked while leaning back in her chair to watch the fight, I opened my mouth to answer just as Kate growled low in her throat, I had a millisecond warning before she slid under the table and grabbed my ankles in a firm grip.

"Oh shit" I breathed before I found myself being pulled onto the hard floor, I grunted at the contact before wrenching one of my ankles out Kate's grip and kicked out at her, she caught my foot though, the little bitch.

"Do NOT break this table!-" Tanya suddenly shouted, I looked up at Kate who nodded begrudgingly. She let go of me and we both slipped out from under the table and growled playfully at each other "-Take the cat fight outside"

"M'kay, come on Ri-Ri" I let Kate pull me out the house by my hand.

"Ya gonna lose you know" I smirked confidently.

"Bitch please, I just hope Heidi isn't close enough to see this" Kate grinned over her shoulder at me.

"Nah shes out in town"

"Yeah?"

"Yep Alice was ecstatic when she discovered that Heidi, Chelsea and Felix would be in need of new wardrobes" I shook my head at my young sister's predictability.

"Jeez the pixie works fast"

"You can say that again"

**Bella's POV.**

"Say that one more time" Rose spluttered, we were up in our room, she was sat on the edge of our bed and I was leaning back against the door, I'd already relayed what had happened but somehow I didn't think it was settling in, judging from the way she'd just blinked lamely and of course then there was the spluttering and the fact that she wasn't flipping out over the little royal titbit.

"My parents are Royalty" I spoke really slowly, maybe that was a bad move, but I couldn't help it, I was still reeling from the multiple bombshells I just gotten pelted with.

"Yep, uh huh I got that, try that last bit again" What was the last bit, honestly we'd gone over this so many times it was starting to bore me.

"Oh yeah, Marcus wants us to move to Volterra" I drawled dispassionately, so that was an understatement but what was I gonna say, 'baby, I know you're heavily pregnant and our sweet little angel is due any day but we're moving to Volterra by the way I'm expected to kill Aro and rule over the whole fucking nation when I'm done, do you want some take-out?" Oh yeah I could just see how that would pan out, she'd pluck my insides out with chopsticks, Mmm that could be kinda hot, I snorted at my own thoughts, seriously all this crap is driving me crazy, before Rose and everyone came back I was a perfectly normal albeit a little lonely teen vampire now I'm a freaking all-powerful fae with a baby on the way and a throne with my name on it, but at least I got Rosalie, if it weren't for her, well I guess I'd still be a vampire but at least now I wasn't constantly wondering what it would be like to find the _one._

"Volterra as in _Volterra, _Volterra?" Rosalie asked closely.

"Um last time I checked we only had one Volterra" I replied smartly, earning me a pointed look, I held my hands up and tilted my head to the side as if to say 'what'.

"But this doesn't make any sense, Caius never mentioned any of this before-" Rosalie stood up slowly and placed her hands on her lower back, I smiled slightly "-Don't smile, your child is kicking the crap out of me and she won't stoooop" Rosalie whined adorably, I straightened and walked over to her, dropping into a crouch I lightly gripped her hips and pressed my forehead against her swollen stomach, I could feel the quick, hurried movements of our baby, it was almost as though she or he was excited about something, I grinned happily, it was the most amazing thing I'd ever felt, well amazing and satisfying, it was still hard to believe that any day now we'd have a helpless infant to protect and nurture after until they were old enough to go out and find _their_ mate, jeez that sounded like something out of animal planet but it was true, assuming Rose would let them.

"Ya know I think its gonna be a boy" I admitted against her stomach.

"What makes you say that?" I felt Rosalie's hand move to tangle in my hair while I nuzzled her stomach, loving the way I could feel a steady presence pushing back at me curiously, I was distantly aware of a soft purr rumbling in the back of my throat but honestly it was beginning to seem like second nature, purring when I was with my family.

"If it were a girl don't you think she would stay relatively still" I murmured.

"With us as parents, oh course shes going to be sooo timid" Rosalie chuckled and shuddered mockingly for emphasis.

"Nah hes going to be confident like you"

"Definitely, and she's gonna have your hair colour cause you don't see it everyday, well unless it comes out of a bottle, honestly kids these days, what is the point, you're just going to have to dye it again in six weeks and the smell of ammonia is just...revolting"

"You'd do it if you could" I smirked softly when she made a disgusted sound in the back of her throat, and she was probably scowling as well.

"No I wouldn't, I like being blonde"

"Then why do you want junior to have my hair?"

"Cause shes coming out of me and she needs something of yours"

"Well he could end up having my..."Ah, well what was there, eye colour, no we both had neon blue eyes and an height, well we were both around five-ten so that was a no go "...You know what it doesn't matter what he looks like, all that matters is hes gonna be ours, until he finds the one that will ensnare him and take him away from us" I sighed melodramatically.

"Please when our daughter finds the one, shes gonna have to do some serious flattering before I let her move out"

"Rose?"

"Yeah baby?"

"We need a birthing plan-" I winced when she suddenly went ridged, shit what had I done now, I pulled away from her slightly and looked up at her, her eyes were extremely wide and I could see her lips moving ever so slightly but she wasn't actually speaking or if she was then I couldn't make any sense of it "-Honey its gonna be fine"

"Thats easy for you to say, you don't have to squeeze something the size of a watermelon out of some the size of a...a-"

"Tangerine?" I offered softly.

"Exactly!-" Rosalie started hyperventilating, I stood up and pulled her closer to me, she tucked her head under my chin and clutched at my shoulders "-Oh this is gonna hurt, this is gonna hurt like a mother., and I should know my mother was an absolute bitch an a half!-" Rosalie squealed, "-Oh shit, shit, fuck, son of a...this is your fault" I jerked back when she hissed.

"WHAT?" I cried, what the fuck?, one minute she was worried about birthing and now she was growling at me, Christ I thought she was over this shit.

"You, you and your fae crap-"

"It wasn't optional-" I defended myself while she pulled away from me entirely "-Rose come on, I'm not in the mood for this"

"Well sorry you're not in the mood for this, but I'm..." I grabbed her shoulders and pulled her forward, I crushed our lips together tightly, mentally sighing when she fell silent, I pulled away gently, and watched as she opened her mouth and closed it again.

"I'm a mess" Rosalie suddenly announced dryly.

"No honey you're just pregnant" I smiled lovingly.

"Yeah but...never mind what were we talking about?"

"Parents?" I tried.

"Urgh no more parental stuff I'm going in the bath-" Rosalie turned and headed over to our _en suite, _I shook my head softly, she reminded me of a God damn energiser bunny, _"_-Do you really think I'm gonna be able to wash my back in my condition?" Rosalie called out from inside the cream coloured bathroom, I grinned happily and rushed after her, I love my life it might be hectic and there was never a single moment of peace but so long as I had Rosalie to snuggle with at the end of the day, I would love every minute of it.

**Jane's POV.**

"Jacob lets be realistic, there is no way in hell that thing you call a cock is going to fit-" Well this is a conversation I never thought I'd be having with any man, particularly my mate, and certainly not when I'm completely naked in the middle of his bed "-Jacob?" I asked gently, he was kneeling at the foot of the bed while I was near enough hugging a pillow at the top, I winced softly when he growled deep in his throat, it was like he'd suddenly lost his ability to talk some where during last night, but then that might have something to do with the fact that I might of knocked him out last night, but come on you couldn't exactly blame me, he wanted sex, that was a given judging from, the way his eyes had darkened considerably and the scent of arousal in the room that I knew wasn't coming from me.

"Mine" I had a second warning before he lunged at me, I tensed softly knowing that trying to run was futile at best, not when I had a horny werewolf on my tail, I stayed perfectly still as he grabbed my hips and pulled me forward until I was flat on my back, with him kneeling between my spread legs, fear bloomed in my chest as I stared up at him, his strong, square jaw was clenched tightly, so hard that I could see a tic present, his bulging muscles were tensed to the point that I swear I could see his pulse-points going haywire, I risked a look down his sculpted chest to the part of his anatomy that scared me shitless. God damn I swear his thick, heavily veined shaft just kept getting bigger, so much so that I knew I wasn't going to be able to take him, I mean I still had the body of a fifteen year old, fair enough a very developed fifteen year old, but still a teenager and he honestly expected to be able to fuck me with an eleven inch cock that was thicker than my fucking wrist.

"Don't hurt me Jacob" I hated the whimper that escaped my lips but I couldn't stop it, Jacob tilted his head gently before leaning down to blanket my body with his much bigger one, he braced his weight on his elbows, sparing me from having to take his weight, which even though I was a vampire, had to be immense. His lips covered mine, hard, sure, intent, his tongue pressed between my lips making me gasp out in surprise, unwittingly letting him plunge his tongue into my mouth, he stroked my tongue with his own, I stayed ridged beneath him, his kiss was so hot and sweet at the same time which threatened to distract me from the imposing shaft pressing into my thigh insistently, I moaned softly feeling him pull his tongue back, so he could suckle on my lower lip. I unintentionally shifted beneath him, which allowed the tip of his hard cock brush against my clit, I hissed softly when he bucked his hips with a growl of pure arousal, I jerked my hand off the sheets to press into his chest in warning, he seemed to take the hint and instead pushed his tongue back into my mouth insistently, I kissed him back hesitantly, slowly tangling my tongue with his, he groaned harshly, making me grow bolder, I moved my hands from his chest to his massive shoulders, I could feel my body beginning to respond to his. It felt like I had electricity burning through my veins, caressing every inch of my skin until I felt like a living flame. My head tipped back as his lips moved hungrily from mine to the curve of my neck, he brushed them against me for a short while, I was amazed at how soft his lips were when every other inch of him was hard muscle, suddenly he moved his lips from my neck to the upper curves of my breasts. I could feel the heated rasp of his tongue as he lapped at my skin. The scrape of his teeth, the velvet touch of his lips. The hot caress echoed through my body, hardening my nipples and making my pussy heat in need. I reached up and tangled my hands in the short jet black strands of his hair as he began kissing his way down between my breasts, making me shiver in awareness. But he completely bypassed my breasts, instead he continued licking his way down my body until he lowered his mouth to the damp curves of my pussy, his tongue circled my clit with a ring of exquisite fire. It was a firm, destructive caress that had me canting my hips up into his mouth with a low moan. I cried out his name as his tongue swiped through my heating pussy as he growled against me, the vibrations sent waves of sensation through me and had my inner muscles clenching tightly. His hands gripped my hips and pulled me closer to him, I unwittingly grinded my now aching flesh into his hot mouth with an urgency I hadn't felt in what felt like centuries.

"Jacob please" I bit my lip to silence my mewls of pleasure, even as he devoured the thick syrup of my response, he was growling constantly into my wet folds, the pleasure he was inflicting was almost painful with its intensity, but my body was hungering for something a little more substantial. His fingers bit into my hips as he licked along my wet slit and with little warning plunged his tongue into my pussy, I was panting, a needless motion for me but I couldn't prevent it, it felt I'd go mad from his skilful tongue, suddenly he returned to lapping at my clit, I sighed slightly in disappointment, until I felt him push two of his long fingers demandingly into my pussy, I jerked against the penetration, I felt stretched almost to my limit and he only had his fingers inside me, fuck why had I'm been cursed to be to small for the man I lo-liked, I didn't love Jacob, I liked the way he was so caring, kind and for the most part patient but I didn't love it, did I?. I felt his fingers begin to thrust inside me with deep, hard strokes that had my orgasm building, I couldn't take the combined pressure of his mouth sucking my clit and his broad fingers spearing into my tight pussy, suddenly he pressed against my G-spot, I cried out at the brutal pleasure that touch gave me. He snarled against my clit and began pounding his fingers inside me harder and harder until I almost reached my peak, he scraped his teeth across the clit gently, that was all it took, I exploded around his plunging fingers, I could feel wave after wave of pulsing sensation battering my body until I literally saw stars. He jerked his fingers from my spasming pussy and before I knew it he had the tip of his cock wedge at my dripping entrance, with one swift thrust of his hips, he had half of his impressive width inside me, the pain I'd expected wasn't there, instead the feeling of him separating my tight muscles with the thick stalk of his cock causing just the right amount of pain, that my body erupted in another orgasm, he threw his head back and snarled loudly, even that sound was like an invisible hand caressing my sensitised body, I could scream, to scream I'd have to draw air into my lungs and the feeling of being impaled on his impossibly hard cock stole my breath. Jacob's arms were shaking on either side of my ribs, I looked up to find him staring down at me with so much pent up lust that I reached up to cup the side of his face and pulled him down to brush my lips across his lightly.

"Jane...don't want to, hurt you" He groaned against my lips, I swallowed tightly and spread my legs wider, he growled and pushed further inside me, the painful pinch of my inner muscles parting around his thick cock was actually adding to the burning pleasure already building inside me again, I smiled up at him hesitantly when he stopped, I looked between our bodies to see that there was still a third of his cock left before I'd taken all of him, I closed my eyes tightly, I felt full, I really didn't think I could take the rest of his hard length.

"Just fuck me Jake" I whispered softly, he looked shocked for a second before he thrust the rest of his hard cock inside me, I whimpered slightly even as he groaned in pleasure above me. I gritted my teeth against the stinging pain that lasted for long seconds before I felt my pussy begin to throb around his dick, I moaned softly and wrapped my legs around his waist, I threw my head back when the action pushed him that much further inside me and I could feel the heavy weight of his balls resting against my ass. Jacob stayed still for minutes, letting me adjust to his imposing length, I arched my back in a silent message that I was ready for him to start moving, but instead of thrusting, he starting grinding against me. His pelvis moved deliciously against my vulva, and the sensation grew greater as he leaned over and propped himself on his hands, still grinding against me. I could feel every inch of him moving around inside of me, and I started forcefully contracting my walls against him, squeezing his large dick, the sensation was incredible.

"Jacob...please" He growled and pulled his hips back until only the flared tip of his cock was inside of me, I suddenly felt so empty that I nearly cried when he pushed back inside me, filling me so deliciously, he groaned above me and pulled back once again, before slamming back inside me so hard the bed frame rattled, I reached up and dug my nails into his broad shoulders as he started up a series of slow and deep thrusts that had me rising up to meet him and low moans to escape my lips. With each thrust, I could feel myself growing so wet that with each pounding surge of his hips I could hear the sound of my pussy sucking at his thick cock. He started moving within me harder and faster, I gasped when he started fucking inside me so deep I swear I could feel him slamming the tip of his cock into my womb, my eyes flew open when I realised that his body was trying to make mine conceive, something that would never happen, for a brief moment I felt guilty that he was bound to me and I would never be able to give him the one thing the wolf inside him obviously wanted, a child. Suddenly Jacob started shaking above me, I looked up at him to find his pupils had dilated the the point it felt like I was looking up into bottomless pools.

"Love you" The sincerity in his voice made my eyes burn with frustration, why did I have to be so devoid of emotion that I didn't even know if I loved him, I liked him, a lot, and I knew that I wanted him in my life, forever. Suddenly Jacob started pounding inside me impossibly harder, I clenched my eyes shut wallowing in the delicious friction. Jacob lowered his body until he was propped up on his elbows now, and I had my legs splayed as wide as they could reach, my pelvis tilted up so he could keep thrusting deep and hard and harder and oh god harder and harder. He was slamming into me so hard I thought he was going to break my pelvis. Sweat was running down his brow now and started to drop into my face; his body was slick with it as it slid over mine. I tried in vain to match every thrust with my own, but I was out of my mind with ecstasy. He had his eyes locked on mine with an intense stare, his eyes glazed over with lust and determination. He was no longer quiet, his grunting and moaning were now becoming as loud as my cries of pleasure. I had no idea how he was lasting this long, but he couldn't possibly last much longer. My body started shuddering as yet another explosive orgasm started to roll in. He was sucking hard at my neck now, still hammering me so vigorously his balls were slapping against my ass and slurping on the juices running down between us. I felt him started to shake and knew he was close. I was closer. Some carnal pleasure switch flipped on in my groin again, a nearly violent orgasm slammed into me. I screamed then I was bucking and seizing like someone who was in the throes of death. He bit down hard on my neck, and then growled posessively against my throat as his cock started spasming and twitching inside me and I felt pressure as he poured his delicious load into my sopping wet pussy. He pumped a few more times as my walls were still contracting in waves and my cunt milked his hot cum out of him. My eyes rolled back in my head with each hot spurt of his seed in my pussy, it felt so good, knowing that I'd finally satisfied my mate, until I realised that his cock was still harder than steel inside of me.

"We're not done yet Jane"

**Victoria's POV.**

"So you don't think your children are spoiled huh?" I drawled softly, while glancing around Rosalie's cabin slash freaking small house, the living room, which me and Esme were currently standing in, had a blood red carpet covering the floor, a coffee table in the centre of the room with three black leather couches surrounding it, all facing a large TV resting on a black unit, and judging from all the games consuls stacked underneath the flat screen, Rosalie hadn't been up here since she'd divorced Emmett. The walls were left unpainted, showing glossed oak instead. There was a fire place build into the left wall with several logs of timber waiting to be burned, there was a set of stairs going up to the six bedrooms Rosalie had told me about.

"Rosalie bought this place just after she was turned in nineteen thirty three" Esme said gently moving into the room cautiously like she expected to be jumped any second, I clenched my hands into tight fists slowly, I'd thought a change in scenery might help Esme forget, but apparently not, her eyes were black, she had her arms wrapped around herself defensively and I swear I could almost see the uncertainty coming off her in waves. Helplessness wasn't something I was used to feeling, no matter what the situation I was always in control of the direction it went, but that wasn't the case right now and I hated it.

"Self imposed solitary?" I murmured gently, while leaning against back against the closed door as she moved around the cabin as though she'd never seen it before, which I knew for a fact wasn't the case, Rosalie ha been quite adamant that Esme had always loved coming up here years ago, thats why I'd chosen to come here instead of simply taking my mate to some random hotel.

"She didn't like being around men after, what they did to her" Esme said gently making me want to wrap her in cotton and make sure that no one ever got close enough to her to hurt her, but no matter what, that was the one thing I couldn't do if I wanted her to return to being herself once again.

"So what happened, cause I'm pretty sure shes comfortable around them now" I asked gently.

"I stayed with her, for weeks she never said a word , but then one night we were sat here and it all came out, after that she was different"

"Colder?"

"Exactly, I guess thats how she got her 'ice queen' persona"

"So what did you talk about?"

"Everything, her childhood, growing up-" Esme looked at me closely "-Everything" She shrugged, I nodded gently before walking across the room slowly, smiling when she didn't tense as I sat down next to her.

"So where were you're born Esme?" I grinned playfully when her head jerked towards me with shock emitting from her black eyes.

"Vic-"

"Baby I'm gonna do whatever I have to, to help you through this, and its not like I'm going to fall asleep now is it?" I tilted my head and pouted at her, smirking when she sighed audibly.

"Columbus, Ohio where were you born?" I sputtered softly, before shaking my head at her.

"This isn't about me" I pointed out.

"If you're going to be asking me twenty questions then I want to do so as well" I rolled my eyes at her, I didn't really want to go into my past but I couldn't deny her anything, if she asked me to walk on hot coals then I'd do it without thinking.

"Ipswich, or at least thats what they call it now" I cleared my throat gently when she smiled with her small victory.

"Funny you don't have an English accent"

"Yeah thats because I bloody detest it" I winced when my fucking accent slipped out, _again_, Esme laughed breezily making me smile dotingly, this was going to work, I realised with a sharp jolt I was going to get my Esme back.

**Felix's POV.**

"Have you ever seen someone move so fast?" I commented to Heidi, who was now clad in a pair of the tightest skinny jeans I had ever seen, a white long sleeved, V-necked T-shirt with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows and solid gold bangles around her pale wrists, her mahogany coloured hair was now tied back from her face and she had a pair of black avatars on her face to hide her red eyes from the unsuspecting humans and her outfit was topped off with a pair of red high heels which she really didn't need, seeing with the added hight she was nearly the same height as me and a six-foot-four woman was beyond intimidating, we were walking back into the house carrying the thousands of bags Alice had picked up after the pixie went shopping, I couldn't possibly class it as we all went shopping seeing as me, Heidi and Chelsea had all just stood next to the register while the pixie ran around picking up clothes for us, but I found her really cute she was like a less serious version of Jane.

"Well there was that time you were running away from Jane, you remember back in seventeen twenty?" Heidi directed her question towards Chelsea, who was sporting a brown leather jacket, a thin black tank top, with a circular gold amulet around her neck, it had ancient Greek glyphs inscribed into it and the thick chain was made out of silver the amulet rested just between her slender collar bones and was the only thing Chelsea had from her human days nearly three thousand and three hundred years ago, the petite blonde had a pair of black slacks that wrapped around her hips letting her hand stitched white belt to show, her waist length blonde hair was left to flow down her back to draw attention to her toned backside and she had a pair of white open toed heels on her feet that gave her six inches of added height making her five-foot-eight in height and just like Heidi she had a pair of sunglasses covering her red eyes.

"Indeed it was, now that was impressive-" Chelsea chuckled, I winced slightly remembering when I'd unintentionally grabbed her ass, it had NOT been planned in fact I'd thought she was Alec, I snorted in amusement, it wasn't my fault they looked so damn similar from behind but she'd ignored my attempt at explaining and chased me around Volterra for days on end, that little midget was fast "-You were running for how many days Felix?" Chelsea turned to grin at me.

"Ah ha ha flaming ha-" I drawled sarcastically "-I think it was five or six" I coughed under my breath earning me chuckles from my sisters.

"Oh baby I cannot believe you didn't just sit on her-" Heidi smirked "-She wouldn't be able to chase you then"

"Sit on her!, Heidi she would probably stick sharp objects in my ass" I exclaimed.

"I'm not gonna say a thing" Heidi chuckled to herself, I turned and glared at her innuendo before punching her in her arm playfully.

"Bitch" I sniffed in mock indignation, before turning to grin at her when she slapped my shoulder lightly.

"Now now children, settle down" Chelsea scolded though there was an amused twinkle in her eye as we walked up the stairs to the large carved oak door.

"Yes mother" I conceded in a childish voice and I batted my eyelashes at the petite vampire making her raise her free hand up to hide her wide grin.

"Yeah mommy we promise to be really good from now on, we'll even look both ways before crossing the street" Heidi drawled sarcastically and rolled her eyes for emphasis, I sniggered myself while pushing the door open with my right hand seeing as my left was filled with the numerous bags the pixie had saddled me with when we got out the car.

"Hello Tanya" I greeted when the willowy blonde walked out of the dining room with a curious expression on her face.

"So how did it go?" Tanya asked leaning her shoulder against the bannister in front of us.

"Well I'm pretty sure we've got enough clothes to last us for the next few...centuries!-" I exclaimed, earning me a laugh from the older vampire "-Seriously the pixie is bat shit shopping crazy!" I joked.

"Yeah she is but at least she knows what looks good you right?" Tanya gave a pointed look at the tight midnight blue T-shirt I was wearing with a pair of designer jeans, personally I wasn't too fond of jeans even if they did shape my ass to perfection, whats was the point when I didn't have a mate to showcase the goods for.

"Yeah Felix if I wasn't mated and you were straight I'd totally do you" Heidi smiled and patted my broad shoulder.

"Thanks honey" I smiled down at her.

"You know you don't look all that gay" Tanya commented.

"Um how am I supposed to take that Tan?" I replied uncertainly.

"Oh that wasn't an insult, I was just making an observation is all"

"Mmm are you feeling okay?" I tilted my head at her curiously.

"Yeah I'm fine its just dawning on me that a week ago my coven was five people now we have a grand total of nineteen, its kinda weird"

"I can imagine-" I nodded in agreement, hell there used to be a riot whenever someone new was introduced into the guard let alone one after the other "-So when do we get to meet Heidi's love rival?" I smiled with false sweetness, if that jackass tried to come between my Heidi and her Irina then he was gonna get my size fourteen boot up his ass.

"Hes not my rival, Irina is all mine" Heidi growled possessively.

"Yeah well he would disagree" I pointed out, sort of regretting my decision when Heidi snarled with animistic jealousy. Suddenly I felt something unbelievably hard connect with my shoulder in the same instant a loud crack filled the silence of the foyer, pain bloomed in my entire left side that left me clutching my ribs gingerly, it wasn't the worst injury I'd ever sustained but still, mother fucking OW.

"What have I told you about behaving?" Chelsea snapped from behind me.

"Sorry" I bit out only just beginning to pick up on the low dangerous snarls filling the foyer emitting from my sister.

"Heidi calm down, hes not gonna take Irina away from you" Tanya reached out to place her hand on Heidi's shoulder only to have the younger vampire stiffen when her hand was just inches away from making contact, Tanya quickly withdrew her palm and looked at Chelsea helplessly.

"I'll go find Irina" I volunteered hastily.

"I think that would be best" Chelsea agreed dryly.

"She outside" Tanya said sharply.

I turned and quickly jogged out the house, I inhaled deeply picking up on Irina's unique scent a few kilometres away, I ran across the grounds, feeling the wind tear at my clothes and dishevelling my shaggy light brown hair which Alice had insisted on styling while we were in town, uch she was going to be so annoyed, shame. It took me less than a minute to stumble upon a sight, that had I been straight would've given me a hard-on, Irina had Kate flat on her stomach, with her knee pressing into Kate's lower back keeping her firmly in place beneath her while Irina was near enough tearing Kate's arms off.

"Cry uncle sister" Irina growled.

"No thanks, this is like yoga only less stimulating" Kate panted out beneath Irina, I couldn't help but notice the pained expression on Kate's face while she tried to buck Irina off of her though she wasn't having much success.

"Oh I'll show you 'yoga'" Irina growled and pulled on Kate's arms even harder.

"Ow, ow, ow, mercy!" Kate finally cried, Irina let go of her arms immediately and patted her on her back between her shoulder blades, I smirked softly at the sisterly feud, before lifting my hands and giving them a mocking applause, they whirled on me with dark eyes which I had to admit were a little threatening, but they lightened to their original golden brown when they saw me.

"Is this a private party or can anyone join in" I did my best to make it look like I was leering, but frankly even _I _didn't think it looked convincing.

"Nope sorry cat-boy but this_ is_ a private party" Irina smirked before standing up off the leafy ground and holding her hand out to Kate who took it and used Irina's strength to pull herself up as well.

"'Cat-boy'?, is that the best you can come back at me with?" I grinned playfully while they sauntered over to me.

"Hey I just kicked my sister's ass, I can't do that and think of witty come backs at the same time" Irina defended herself.

"I thought woman were supposed to be goddesses at this multi-tasking business" I replied smartly.

"Piss off" Irina snapped, I grinned softly at the soft smile playing at the edge of her lips.

"Oh shit I forgot, Heidi is about to go insane back..." Irina was taking off at a run before I was even half way through my sentence, that ballsy little miss, I snorted in amusement "...I think I'm gonna start calling her 'lady muck'" I announced to Kate with a wink, the older vampire started laughing gently.

"Oh Felix we're gonna get along perfectly" Kate declared while walking past me towards the mansion with a smile on her face.

"If you say so _Cara mia" _I drawled as we started back towards the house at a leisurely pace.

**Rosalie's POV.**

"So if your biological parents ever showed up, what would you do?" Oh yeah that was really smooth I snorted to myself, while slowly entwining mine and Bella's fingers together. We we both sat in our large circular bath tub submerged in the deliciously hot water, Bella was behind me leaning against the rim, and I was between her spread legs with her breasts pressing into my back, though surprisingly I wasn't turned on, I didn't know if it was because Elena had asked me to work on Bella or if it was the whole I'm gonna be giving birth to out baby in a few days, depending on how accurate nature is.

"I dunno, what would you do?" Bella asked behind me, I leaned my head back and rested it on her shoulder.

"Bella if my parents showed up I'd run and hide behind Esme" I grinned mysteriously when she stiffened behind me.

"Why?"

"Because they've been dead for almost two hundred years and I'm pretty sure that they ain't looking so good" I smiled when Bella laughed slightly.

"Good point" Bella conceded.

"Besides I don't care what biology says, as far as I'm concerned Esme is my mother"

"Thats exactly how I feel about Victoria" I winced softly, I hadn't even considered how any of this would effect the red headed vampire, maybe I should talk to her first so she doesn't feel like Elena and Akasha are trying to take away the only daughter shes ever really had, apart from Leah.

"Uh Rose?" I jumped softly when Bella turned and nipped at my ear lobe playfully.

"Huh?" I looked back at her with my eyebrow raised in question.

"I asked you if Esme ever legally adopted you-" Bella grinned widely "-Why what did you think I said?"

"Nothing, I just drifted off-" I cleared my throat softly, shit what if Victoria took this the wrong way, I mean I didn't want to hurt the older vampire that was like a second mother to me, well to all of us, including Tanya, Irina and Kate, cause they didn't exactly act their ages from what I overheard downstairs earlier "-Ah, no I don't think Esme ever adopted me in the human sense, but as far as our world is concerned shes been our mother since we were turned"

"Its weird"

"What?" I asked gently.

"The connections that bind us, they're so...so-"

"Binding?" I offered with a smile when Bella stalled.

"I was gonna go with 'absolute'"

"Is that a bad thing?" I murmured gently, I kept forgetting that Bella was still relatively young by our standards, there was still so much that she didn't understand about the vampire world let alone the damn Fae one, and how we were ever going to understand these changes was truly beyond me.

"Well its like, I know how strong human love can be, but what I feel now, I can't even begin to describe it yet it feels so natural"

"Thats because humans focus on what they want to feel whereas we have instinct guiding us, thats why I'm kinda freaked out that I didn't immediately realise what you meant to me when I first saw you, it could have been the way that you were ensnared by Eddie-boy but then-"

"Uch do you have to remind me about how stupid I was?" Bella growled in disgust behind me, I squeezed her hand tightly, when she began nuzzling my neck lovingly.

"Not stupid love, now that I think about, you were a very young Fae and probably just latching onto whatever familiar super natural being that came close to you, I mean what are Fae except advanced vampires?"

"But why couldn't it have been you?"

"One thing you're gonna learn about me is that the Fates, bitches that they are, hate me" I grinned widely when she snorted in disbelief behind me.

"If they hated you we'd still be apart and you wouldn't be about to have our son"

"Daughter" I corrected.

"I'm telling you Rose, its gonna be a boy"

"And I'm telling you its not"

"Must we argue about this?"

"No, just as soon as you admit that we're going to have a girl we'll go back to talking about 'us'"

"Stubborn woman"

"You're in denial" I declared.

"No I'm not"

"Yes you are, hey can we call her-"

"Him Rosalie, its a him"

"Argh!, stop arguing with me!" I growled impatiently.

"Babe all you gotta do is-" Bella began.

"Don't quote me" I hissed interrupting her.

"M'Kay" We fell into silence for a whole two minutes before Bella decided to start humming gently to herself.

"Bella?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up"

**TBC. . .**

**AN: I'm gonna leave it here, mainly cause like usual I have a shit load of work to get through, so let me hear your thoughts on this chapter and I'll update as soon as possible.**


	27. Chapter 27

Title: Coming Home

Pairing(s): Bella/Rosalie, Leah/Alice, Victoria/Esme, Tanya/Jasper, Emmett/Kate, Alec/Seth, Jane/Jacob.

Rating: M.

Disclaimer: Nothing is mine it all belongs to Stephanie Meyer.

Summary: The Cullens left in new moon, Victoria changed Bella, together along with Seth, Jacob and Leah they've lived in Forks for over a century, what happens when the Cullens come back?.

**AN: Sorry its been a while guys but I have my reasons, but I think this will make up for it, ahem...its the baby chapter!, now that I have your attention I would like to point out that this chapter is gonna be a little different that the others, so hopefully I don't completely screw this up. Now then as always thanks for the reviews, favourites and alerts, they are a big help, now then shall we move on =D**

**Chapter twenty seven, Bella's POV.**

When Rosalie woke up this morning this was not how I planned out our day, well I suppose no one knows when its gonna hit you, but seriously it had all happened so fast that I don't really think its really sunk in, cause I was numb, I knew I should be excited or scared, something, instead here I was sat on our leather couch in the middle of the family room with Kate, Irina, Alice, Heidi and Chelsea all around me, completely silent. And damn if the silence wasn't killing me, there was nothing, no breathing, background sound from the television, nada, except the wildlife outside in the forest, but I was easily managing to block it all out, and so was everyone else, it had all ready been one hell of a day, but it was no where near done yet.

"At least she isn't screaming" Alice smiled hopefully, I winced softly when she reached out and placed her hand on my knee comfortingly.

"For now-" Irina added, earning her pointed looks from everyone "-What?, I'm just saying that when it really sets in shes gonna be screaming her little blonde head off, and you are gonna have to keep your cool" Irina spoke to me sternly, I lowered my head into my hands at the memory of how badly I reacted when Rosalie went into labour, talk about the worst time to freeze up, but come on it was like someone had just slammed a supernaturally enhanced sledge hammer into the back of my skull.

"Baby you know you're blonde right?" Heidi asked with a smile, Irina turned towards her mate, they were both sat on the back of the couch across from her with their bare feet resting on the cushions.

"Whats that got to do with anything?"

"Just the way you said that, it sounded like..." A loud scream erupted from upstairs, I stood up before I knew what I was doing.

"Whoa Bella settle down, if you go all territorial right now then something is going to go wrong-" Chelsea was suddenly at my side and gripping my wrist tightly, her hold was strong, a testament to her thousands of years of age, which I was grateful for because if it weren't for Chelsea there was a good chance that I'd have killed everyone by now, I remembered that much, it was like when Rosalie's waters had broken some kinda of primal switch had been flipped and I'd more or less gone crazy "-Tanya is the only one that can help her right now" The petite vampire said gently before pushing me back towards the couch, I dropped onto it willingly, though fuck, I could hear Rosalie groaning in pain from here and it felt like someone was slowly crushing my heart in my chest, I would happily bite my own arm off if it would stop Rosalie's pain.

"You're right" I whispered gently and placed my hands on my thighs, just so I didn't start ripping things apart.

"Man what a day" Alice sighed next to me, I was distantly aware of the others nodding gently, they were right, I thought as the days events flashed through my mind.

**Seventeen hours earlier.**

Who knew listening to your mate breathe would be so relaxing, I mean seriously if it were possibly I would be flat out, I didn't even feel the need to breath myself, or at least I didn't until Rosalie had placed her head over my unmoving chest and started whimpering in her sleep, that was about three o'clock this morning, and we hadn't moved since. Rosalie was snuggled into my side with her arm thrown over my waist and our legs were entwined beneath the heavy duvet while I was slowly running my hands through her long cascade of golden blonde hair while she just breathed deeply, God it was moments like this I still couldn't believe that Rosalie was actually here with me...and pregnant, it was like my dream come true, as cheesy as it sounded, but there was no other way to describe it, I was...complete. My serene mood was suddenly interrupted by my bedroom door being opened so quietly that had it not been for my Fae hearing there was no way I'd have heard it, I lowered my head slightly and kissed the top of Rosalie's head when she growled warningly, clearly on some level she knew there was a disturbance into our personal space, I watched the door carefully until Tanya poked her head around the door.

"_Aww so cute" _She mouthed, I smirked softly in response, while she started gesturing wildly, I couldn't make out a damn thing she was trying to get across and she obviously knew it because she held her hands up and took a deep breath before stalking back out the dark room, I rolled my eyes even as a smile crossed my face. I heard Tanya's soft footfalls before she appeared again this time baring a sheet of paper and a pen.

"_You need to come and see this, you useless douchebag!"_

I snorted softly in amusement, and nodded gently, except damn it all to hell I really didn't want to leave Rosalie's side, it was almost an undeniable need, like the animal inside me was going bat shit crazy at the thought of being dragged away from her mate, I scowled at Tanya when she placed her hands on her hips, the piece of paper crinkled loudly in her clenched hands, Rosalie jerked against me and growled deep in her chest. I raised my hand and gestured for Tanya to leave the room, but she just shrugged with a helpless frown.

"_Try that again-" _Tanya mouthed, I arched my eyebrow at her before I flipped her off_"-Oh you want me to go" _I nodded slowly, and sighed gently when Tanya grinned widely and walked out the room leaving behind her unique scent that was completely distinctive. Honestly this had better be really fucking important, I slowly pulled myself away from Rosalie, trying to ignore the impulse to quickly return to her side, seriously what the hell is wrong with me now, I didn't need any more surprises. Rosalie made a small noise in the back of her throat before she buried her face into my pillow, she looked so adorable like that I smiled gently while carefully getting out of our bed and made sure that the duvet was covering her before slowly creeping from our bedroom, dressed only in a pair of boy shorts and a tank top. I carefully inhaled deeply, I found that pretty much everyone was in their rooms, save for Laurent, but the Frenchman had been gone for several days now, I was sort of relieved because it meant that no fights were breaking out, but on the other hand I knew that the longer Laurent thought that Irina was still avoiding him the bigger the fireworks were gonna be when he found who he viewed as his mate in the arms of another, but there was nothing I could do for him and even now I had Marcus needing an answer to the big motherfucking question he'd decided to drop on me, jeez why couldn't I get a fucking break?.

"Bella get a move on" I could hear Tanya's whisper as though she'd spoke through a bullhorn, only it was coming from the room down from mine and Rosalie's...now I know, I hadn't played a big part in the decorating but I'm pretty sure that was my baby boy's room, I walked the few steps to the double doors that opened into a large square room, with a large window that went from either side of the room and went from ceiling to floor, I still wasn't too sure about that, I mean what if the wind picked up and the glass smashed, I shook my head softly, we just wouldn't put the cot anywhere near there, I nodded to myself before pushing open the double doors silently, the sight that greeted me had me gasping softly. The walls were painted a soft ivory colour, only there were, numbers and animals scatter across the four walls, I could spot the alphabet going around the middle of the four walls as well, there was several chest of drawers in either of the far corners of the room, between them was a book shelve filled with what looked like children's books, there were various rugs covering the hardwood floors. I walked into the room, to find that Tanya had indeed positioned the cot next to the windows and she was stood next to it with a small smile playing on her lips, I ignored her for now and continued scanning the room, I found there was an adjoining bathroom to the right of the double doors and a walk in closet to the left, that was no doubt already full with clothes, and accessories thanks to aunt Alice and her addiction.

"Now I know this is still really basic, you still need toys and what not but seeing as I'm not talking to my hubby and last night I got really bored of listening to Heidi and Irina going at it I thought why the hell not?" I smiled at Tanya while she leaned back against that god forsaken window, shit I was really grateful to my sister for doing this but how was I gonna say to her that the white cot was staying there over my dead body.

"Tan this is really...amazing" I began with a smile.

"Oh don't give me all the credit, Maria helped too, shes out getting bottles and other tiny things like that" Tanya smirked softly, I chuckled to myself, I could only imagine how that was gonna play out, Maria in a store surrounded by humans, I almost wanted to track just so I could see it play out, and make sure she didn't decided she wanted an appetizer, though that was unfair, I mean she'd been hunting with me for the past couple of days and her eyes were now a vivid golden colour.

"Tan I really appreciate this...but-"

"The window?..." I winced and nodded softly "...Honey do me a favour and watch this-" I frowned gently but watched as Tanya turned her back to me before bringing her leg up and slamming her bare foot into the window, the resounding crack had been flinching, I scowled softly, but fell silent when I realised that Tanya was now hopping on one foot while clutching the other "-Son of a bitch, motherfucking, ow-y" Tanya growled before hobbling over to me, I bit my tongue to keep from laughing at her pain stricken face "-Now I would like you to bare in mind that I am over a thousand years old and I am no wall flower" Tanya wheezed and rested her bent elbow on my shoulder while lifting her abused foot off the ground. I was...stunned, what the hell kinda of glass is that, was it even glass?.

"What is...it?" I asked softly, while looking at the glass pane, now that I thought about it, it was actually really odd, it looked as though it had a collection of greens, blues and purples swirling around in it.

"Baby Fae-girl, we are in the year 2111, the baby proofing they have now is stunning, plus I had Emmett spruce it up a little, theres a control pad over there" Tanya pointed over to the side of the room, I followed her direction and spotted a small rectangular pad in the wall, it looked like a touch screen which was no surprise.

"Huh, spruce it up how?" I murmured gently.

"I have no idea, but I clearly can't break the piece of crap" Tanya growled.

"Yeah but junior is a fae, and could probably kick your ass when hes a few hours old" I smiled proudly at the image, yep my baby boy was gonna look like Rosalie AKA be a total heartbreaker with a massive family ready to cater to his every whim with a smile on our faces.

"Ha ha ha-" Tanya forced out "-I need to go sit down, tell Maria to put all the baby's stuff in her cupboard above and below the sink in the kitchen" I smiled while Tanya limped out the room.

"'His' cupboard Tan" I corrected while she was about to close the doors behind her.

"Keep telling yourself that one Fae-girl" I didn't have to look to know Tanya was smiling smugly as she pulled the door shut behind her, I shook my head softly before going over to the control panel, better learn how to use this thing sooner rather than later.

**Present time**

I smiled gently, that panel might have looked simple but that thing had kept me entertained for a good half-hour before I'd figured out the ins and outs.

"Bells you okay?" Alice asked gently, I turned and arched my eyebrow at her while clasping my hands together tightly with my elbows resting on my knees, cause I really didn't trust myself not to throttle my pixie sister, which I knew was really unfair, she was just trying to be supportive.

"Ali I don't even trust myself to sit here quietly" I admitted shakily.

"Its natural to be protective, I mean your mate is about to give birth"

"Yeah and if it weren't for Chelsea I'd have torn Tanya to shreds"

"Ya welcome" Chelsea chirped in, I turned and smiled sadly at the ancient vampire.

"You'd have stopped yourself" Alice declared, I shook my head slightly in denial.

"No I wouldn't...face it Ali-cat I was this close to losing it...big time-" I held my thumb and fore finger millimetres away from each other for emphasis, God damn I still had to apologise to Tanya. Aloud scream of pain echoed through the silent house that was dimly lit by a single lamp on a small table next to the couch Heidi and Irina were perched on, the rest of the house was pitch black and looking out the window all I could see was the night sky with the stars shining back at me, a low growl rumbled from my chest when I heard my love scream again "-Fuck! Helplessness is not doing much for me right now!" I snarled, I could feel myself shaking, frustration was boiling in my veins and the animal prowling below my skin was roaring for release, the urge to gather Rosalie in my arms and get her away from here had me twitching, ready to move, I knew it was irrational, for God's sake Tanya had all kinds of degrees in the medical field, so why did I want to kill the other woman for so much as looking at my mate in this state?, damn it I really hate being a fae right now, because of me, Rose was in pain, because of me Tanya's face had been rearranged not to mention all the other shit that had happened, God if I could go back in time...no, I wouldn't change a thing, did that make me selfish?.

"Chelsea what do we do?" Heidi asked quietly.

"You forget youngling, Bella has royal blood running through her veins, her urges are even stronger than the average Fae" Chelsea murmured in her ancient Greek accent.

"So we can do nothing" Kate muttered.

"Oh no we can let Bella go to Rosalie...but I have seen a lot of Fae losing control at the sight of their mates in pain, its likely that the more primal side of Bella could take over, just imagine the damage" Chelsea murmured in her exotic accent.

"Stop talking about me like I'm not fucking here!-" I snarled venomously, Kate nodded softly while Chelsea frowned softly "-What?" I growled at her.

"You have a remarkable amount of control...Akasha wasn't nearly as contained" That perked my interest.

"You knew my mother?" I murmured gently.

"Yes I was quite close to her-" Chelsea smiled, another bone chilling scream echoed through the house, I was on my feet heading for the stairs when I felt Chelsea grip my wrist for the second time "-Bella, you need to let Tanya help your mate, right now there is nothing you can do"

"I know that...just fuck!, knock me out, do something so I don't..." I trailed off gently.

"Come-" Chelsea softly pulled me back towards the lounge, the concerned faces of my sisters flooded my vision while Chelsea urged me back onto the couch "-Would you like me to tell you about your mother?"

"Tell me later" I whispered.

"You need a distraction Bella" Chelsea murmured.

"Where did you get your degree in psychology?" I hissed resentfully.

"Sapienza University of Rome" Chelsea answered with a smug smile that calmed me immensely, surprisingly.

"Smart ass" I replied gently.

"Mmmhm...but still"

"Hey what about Felix and Laurent, I mean who saw that one coming?" Kate exclaimed while Heidi and Irina made annoyed noises in their throats.

**Fourteen hours ago.**

"You should have woken me" I turned looked over the back of the couch to find Rosalie standing just behind me, I stood up quickly and walked around to her, something was off, I couldn't quite define it but something was definitely...off.

"You needed sleep more than I needed company" I smiled and wrapped my arms around her gently though I was careful not to crush her against me in case I hurt the baby.

"Where is everyone anyway?-" Rosalie murmured with a smile, I leaned forward and nuzzled my face into the crook of her neck I scented deeply, her scent had changed slightly, like spice and spring rain, I licked her pulse point before I knew what I was doing "-Bella?, baby...stop" I nipped at her neck softly, hunger was suddenly gripping me like a vice, and she smelled so...mouth watering, suddenly I felt her hands on my shoulders, I jerked back quickly.

"Sorry" I whispered gently, damn what was up with me today. First the separation issues now wanting to drain her dry?, _uch_ _now who is the hormonal mess, Bells?_

"Forget it...its been a while since you fed off me-" Rosalie shrugged slightly, yeah it had been a while but I'd always been able to control myself, even at night when she was asleep in my arms and I could almost taste the venom coursing through her veins I didn't feel the driving need to sink my teeth into her neck.

"Huh..."

"Hello my bitches-" I turned to find Felix smiling at us, the tall vampire was standing over by the stair case, dressed only in a pair of low hanging jeans and a tank top that looked like it would rip if he tensed his bulging muscles even slightly "Wrong moment?, should I try again later?" Felix grinned softly.

"Ah wrong terminology for the wrong girls" Rosalie laughed breezily.

"Fair enough, lemme try again...good mid-morning my darlin's"

"Much better-" Rosalie complimented, Felix smirked widely, I felt a possessive growl bubble out from nowhere, all playfulness drained from Felix's eyes and he tilted his head at me in concern "-Ignore her, shes in a really weird mood this morning"

"Um okay, I know a jealous mate when I see one...do you want me to make you breakfast...Alice mentioned that you were eating human food and I really want to get out Bella's line of sight before she kills me" Felix laughed nervously, I could feel myself tensing to attack, I mentally kicked myself, jeez all he was doing was being sociable.

"Uh that be great...thank you" I felt Rosalie's hand on my shoulder, I flinched softly, God she was so damn cold, even by our standards. I turned to look closely at her, she was frowning at me gently.

"-Are you feeling okay?" We both asked in usion, Felix chuckled to himself before disappearing into the kitchen.

"What do you mean, you're the one thats acting like I was flirting with him" Rosalie accused.

"Like you said I'm in a weird mood, but you feel like an ice cube" I growled before taking her hand and pulling her towards the couch, she didn't even argue with me which made me worry even more, when she was laying down on the couch and used my enhanced speed to run upstairs and into the linen closet, I grabbed a spare blanket before running back downstairs and threw the blanket over her, I crouched down next to her.

"Talk to me baby" I encouraged softly, while settling onto my knees beside her.

"I'm fine, just feel a little dizzy all of a sudden is all" Rosalie waved her hand dismissively before placing it over her baby bump. I scowled softly before reaching up to unbutton the black vest I had on while doing the same to my white shirt, not really caring that if anyone decided to come home from school early then they were about to get one hell of a show, I pulled the two halves apart, exposing the slender curve of my neck and brushed my red-black hair away from my neck, before leaning down to her, I shivered softly when I felt her breath against my neck.

"Feed off me" I ordered gently, if there was something wrong then this would take care of everything, I was certain of it and I wasn't taking any chances right now, I felt Rosalie titled her head, her hand came up to cup the left side of my neck while her velvety lips came increasingly closer to the right side of my neck. I jumped softly when she sank her sharp teeth into my neck, the sting of the initial puncture was quickly drowned out by the feel of her suckling strongly, the feel of her tongue lapping at the small wound, the sound of her moaning breathlessly, I closed my eyes gently and cupped the back of her head urging her to drink deeper, and holy hell did she take the invitation. Her teeth were once again buried in my neck which was completely unnecessary because I could feel my venom free flowing out of me and into her, this was by far the best part of feeding off each other as far as I'm concerned, feeling her take a part of me into her, the knowledge was hotter than hell, suddenly she was pulling away from me and licking her lips slowly, my eyes narrowed, my breathing shallowed and I could feel heat pooling in my lower stomach, she tilted her head at me and smiled knowingly. I growled at her before leaning into her, she moved in closer to me, bringing her lips so close to mine that I could almost taste her.

"_Mon Dieu_, Sorry I didn't realise you were up yet" I winced softly when Laurent's lightly accented voice rang out through the lounge, _aww shit, _I quickly got up to my feet and re buttoned my blouse.

"Hey Laurent" I greeted gently with a smile that I knew looked awkward, but the Frenchman nodded anyway.

"I thought I heard Irina yesterday but I thought that I misheard...until I heard her again this morning" I kept my face neutral even though I knew the moment I let it slip that the Russian vampire was back then Laurent was going to be on a fake cloud nine, shit maybe I should just lie, no I knew looking at the expression on his face I could do that. I looked down at Rosalie, I felt a smile tugging at my lips when I found that she eyes were closed and her breathing was slow and even, damn it all to hell, I really needed her help on this one. I carefully walked around the couch towards the Frenchman now wringing his hands together nervously.

"Listen something has happened..." I started though I wanted to take it back when his golden eyes turned wild with concern "...Shes fine-" I added, sympathy welled up in me when he sighed in relief "-But ah..."

"Hey Rose does pancakes suit you okay?" Felix was suddenly walking into the room, I bit my lip softly, oh this was not my day, I watched quietly as Felix drew up short when his red eyes settled on Laurent, they widened considerably...in shock or anger, no if it were anger they'd have narrowed. Laurent growled deep in his throat and he backed away from the former Volturi guard.

"Boys I would like to point out that..." A soft rumbling sound suddenly emitted from Felix's broad chest, like a purring sound, I'm pretty sure my jaw just hit the ground, well I never saw this coming, instead of pulling on a referee shirt I'm gonna end up holding a bouquet?, but at least Irina doesn't have to worry anymore.

"Laurent?..." I whispered harshly, the Frenchman turned to me with confusion reflecting in his eyes while Felix was smiling gently.

"What the hell is a Volturi doing here Bella?" I felt my own eyes widen, seriously, Laurent's mate was standing a few feet from him and all he could come up with was 'what the hell is he doing here?', this was gonna be more trouble that it was worth.

"Hes not a Volturi anymore..." I hissed back at him "...Know what I'm just gonna leave you two together, you know talk, kiss and make up or whatever-" I rambled while going back around the couch to pick Rosalie's sleeping form, she filled my arms so perfectly, I smiled and nuzzled the top of her head when she turned towards me in her sleep "-Just keep it down, cause if you wake her up I'll kill both of you" I wasn't joking either, Rosalie needed to rest up and if anyone got I the way of that then they were gonna have me to deal with.

**Present time.**

"I could kill that deluded SOB" Heidi growled, I shrugged softly, after I'd carried Rosalie up stairs and tucked her back into bed I'd heard Laurent shouting angrily and when I'd managed to pull myself away from my mate I found Felix sat on the couch, his massive shoulder hunched inwardly and he looked...devastated.

"I'm sure Eleazar will be able to talk some sense into him" Kate murmured.

"Well he better had...cause if Laurent pesters me from now on, I will be a total bitch, and you can't say a damn thing about it" Irina threatened, I smirked softly before I heard footsteps out in the hall, I stood up yet again just as Tanya came into the room, I winced at the bruises lining her jaw, and the way she was not so subtly favouring one side.

"Fae-girl you better get up there" Tanya said in a hoarse voice, I flinched gently.

"Tanya I'm really sorry" I whispered gently, guilt ate at me so badly I actually considered falling to my knees to emphasis my sincerity.

"Nah don't worry about it, I'll be fine-" Tanya smiled gently "-Now then shall we go into the lion's den"

"Tan..."

"I said forget it, you weren't yourself and I probably would of done the same thing, only the thought of a pregnant Jasper is more disturbing than endearing" Tanya grinned widely making everyone chuckle including me, until I heard Rosalie scream again, I tensed and before I knew it, I was moving towards the stairs, towards my future, my love, my family.

**Nine hours earlier.**

This was starting to worry me, Rosalie had been flat out since feeding off me earlier but thanks to Laurent's disappearing act I had to go looking for him cause no one else had my heightened senses, well Rose did but she was blissfully unaware of what was going on down here and I was not waking her just to go searching for the pain in the ass Frenchman.

"So lemme get this straight...you are Laurent's mate" Irina was drawled to Felix who hadn't moved from his place on the couch, not even when everyone got home from school.

"Yep" Felix nodded gently.

"Thank you God" Irina grinned and clasped her hands together, before turning to purr at Heidi, the Italian vampire batted her eyelashes at her mate.

"Yo! When you two are done with the flirting you do realise that there is a messed up vampire out there, who is going through hell" Emmett called out to the happy couple.

"Yeah you're right..." Irina nodded "...So lets find him and bring him back so I can get on with..._things" _Irina smirked softly.

"Not that I don't know what you're on about...but why is everyone so tense?" I turned around quickly to find Rosalie standing in the doorway, I sauntered over to her and wrapped my arm around her waist, I purred softly when she rested her head on my shoulder.

"Well lets just say that I'm finally free..." Irina announced, we all looked at her pointedly "...as soon as Laurent gets with the program" Irina shrugged off our glares.

"Huh...so where is he now?" Rosalie asked quietly.

"Out in the forest somewhere" Irina waved her hand dismissively before drawing Heidi into her arms.

"I'll help you look" Rosalie suddenly declared, I didn't know why I was instantly against that, but some part of me really didn't want Rosalie out in the forest, not with the uneven terrain, nuh uh, not gonna happen.

"And don't even start to argue with me because you'll lose" Rosalie leaned up and brushed her lips across the side of my mouth, while I tried to figure out how I was going to get her to stay here, except she normally won in these situations, stubborn little minx.

"Rose..." I was gonna try anyway.

"Nope, I walk slowly and I won't wonder too far away from you" Uch why did she have to be so logical when I wasn't.

"Yeah and I'll come too-" Emmett declared, I looked at him with a dark look "-You and me both know that if she wants something then shes gonna get it" He shrugged his broad shoulders.

"You don't have to encourage her though" I replied, feeling Rosalie smile against my jaw.

"Count me in as well" Maria smirked from her place on the window sill, I pursed my lips at her, even though I knew why she wanted to tag along.

"Me three" Tanya announced already making her way towards the front door.

"Fine...fine, but if you feel the slightest twitch we're coming back, with or without Laurent" I growled.

"Babe how are you gonna know what I'm feeling?" Rosalie inquire softly while pulling away from me gently.

"Oh I'll know" I drawled before taking her hand in mine and leading the way toward the front door.

"Mmmhm" Rosalie murmured while I pushed the huge front door open, it dimly registered that the wind was colder than usual, and there was a thick layer of snow covering the house, ground, trees turning everything into a sparkling white landscape.

"I love this time of year" Rosalie smiled dreamily before pulling me out the house and down the small flight of stairs that lead up to the front door, it suddenly dawned on me that Rosalie was only wearing a pair of elasticated sweat pants and a thin T-shirt with a pair of tennis shoes, she'd also let her long golden blonde hair hang loose around her shoulders, now I knew that Rosalie couldn't feel the cold but that didn't stop me from wanting to add several layers to my mate now heading towards the forest with me on her heels and Emmett, Maria and Tanya on mine.

"Hold up" We turned at the edge of the forest to find Chelsea coming out the house.

"Whats wrong?" I asked when the ancient vampire had caught up with us.

"Felix is like the son I never had...not to mention that Heidi is actually distantly related to me and the way Irina is looking at her right makes me want to slap her" Chelsea declared making me smirk gently, I tilted my head before leading everyone into the snow covered forest.

"Yeah I remember when my human daughter got married...it sucked" Maria shuddered softly, I rolled my eyes and inhaled deeply, I found distant traces of Laurent's scent heading North West, I released the breath I'd been holding and continued leading my family through the dense forestry while keeping a careful eye on Rosalie, my mate was glancing around the forest with a keen eye.

"Finally someone understands where I'm coming from" Chelsea sighed behind me.

"Yep...I don't know what it was but watching Señor Rodriguez drool over my baby wasn't a sight that ever sat well with me" Maria drawled.

"Hey I can assure you that Irina is never gonna hurt or even upset Heidi so can we stop talking about detestable in-laws?" Tanya butted in.

"Fine...You know for such an old vampire your name is pretty...modern" Maria murmured to Chelsea ignoring Tanya.

"Ah I was wondering when that would come up...my real name is 'Charmion', I changed it to 'Chelsea' in the mid nineteen hundreds so I didn't draw attention to myself during my human interactions" Chelsea explained.

"Mmm so you're Greek?" Maria murmured.

"I'm I that obvious?" Chelsea returned in her light accent.

"No...its just that I got 'invited' to Volterra once and decided to raid the library, I found a lot of records on the guards"

"Oh don't worry that business on Barbados never actually happened...well half of it didn't" I turned to look over my shoulder discreetly, Chelsea and Maria were walking so close to each other that their arms were brushing together with each step, I smirked gently before picking up my pace slightly.

"Have you heard them?" I whispered gently to Rosalie.

"It'll be good for them" Rosalie smiled at me, I nodded my head in agreement, it would be good for them, particularly Maria, after the death of her mate she could use a companion, and Chelsea seemed to fit the bill perfectly.

"Hey Chelsea!-" I called out, ignoring the way Rosalie looked at me with an uncertain frown on her face, I brought our entwined fingers up to my lips so I could press a reassuring kiss to her knuckles "-Have you found your mate yet?" I continued when Rosalie smiled at me.

"No I haven't...ironic isn't, one of the oldest beings in existence and I haven't found my mate" I smothered my look of disappointment, that meant that Chelsea couldn't be Maria's eternal companion, but it could be temporary at least.

"You'll find them soon enough" Was that a note of sadness I could hear in Maria's lightly accented voice?, surely not, she'd said it herself that she would never go looking for someone to replace Rodrigo, but then I'd told her that there was nothing wrong in it.

"With all due respect, if I haven't found them by now I probably never will, I mean I've been all over the world, lived through dozens of eras and nothing, not even a 'could it be'." Chelsea sighed softly in regret.

"At least you've never be affected with the 'Non rei' thingy" Emmett spoke up softly for the first time since we'd left the house.

"Yes but I can't decided if being alone is worse than deluding myself into thinking I'd found the one" Chelsea admitted.

"I'd rather be alone than be obsessed with something that isn't real" Tanya concluded.

"But you wouldn't know that it wasn't real...I mean look at Laurent and Irina." Maria said gently.

"Yeah...poor guy" Emmett agreed.

"You guys pick the most cheery of subjects" Rosalie suddenly declared after a long and depressing silence, which made everyone laugh in amusement.

**Present time.**

I was lingering outside our bedroom, it felt like my heart was in my throat, when I'd been running up here my only thoughts ha been of getting to Rosalie but now...what if she hated me for the way I'd reacted, shit I know I'd be at least a little wary of me if our positions were reversed.

"Fae-girl now isn't the time to all self-conscious now get your butt in there and hold her hand, cause however scared you are shes a feeling a million times worse" Tanya placed her hand on my shoulder and gave me slight push, I turned to look at her over my shoulder.

"Tan..."

"You say you're sorry one more time and junior is gonna be one parent down, ya get me?" I smirked gently before taking a deep breath, I gripped the gold door knob, and twisted it, I pushed the heavy oak door open and walked into our bedroom on unsteady legs. Our room smelled like wild flowers and spring rain, I shook my head slightly and moved further into our room, my eyes instinctively landed on Rosalie's form, she was sprawled out on our bed with her neon blue eyes half open, I stumbled over to her dimly noticing that she was covered in a light sheen of sweat. My throat constricted as I sat down on the edge of our bed, her eyes drifted open slowly.

"Hey..." I smiled gently, she mumbled something and her eyes drifted closed again, I turned and narrowed my eyes on Tanya.

"Shes tired...already" Tanya shrugged helplessly.

"What do you want me to do?" I asked quietly.

"Shes only four centimetres dilated...so we've still got a long way to go before we need towels and what not...so just stay with her while I take a break" Tanya smirked before making her way over to the door, panic welled in me, she couldn't leave me, what if something went wrong?.

"Tanya you can't just leave us!" I exclaimed.

"Bella this is the easy part...besides Rosalie is doing good, the baby is doing fine and her head is already lodged...so stop being a pussy and leave me alone for a minute-" Tanya growled before pulling the door open, I felt sick, so many 'what if's' were running through my head that a dull pain blossomed "-I'm only a shout away Fae-girl" Tanya reminded.

"Bella..." My head turned without me actually realising it, until my eyes met Rosalie's pain darkened eyes.

"Bye" Tanya grinned before barrelling out our room pulling the door shut behind her.

"How are you feeling?" I murmured gently, I winced softly, that probably wasn't the greatest question, all things considered.

"...It hurts like a mother" Rosalie smirked before leaning her head back on the pillows stacked against the headboard, I smiled gently, even though I still didn't feel confident being alone with Rosalie, without someone who knew what they were doing.

"Sorry..." I whispered gently.

"Mmmhm its your fault" Rosalie muttered before her hands were suddenly clutching her swollen stomach and her breathing became laboured, I shifted on our bed slightly, shit what did I do, call Tanya, no she'd said that this was normal, but what could be normal about watching your mate writhing in pain and biting her lip to keep from screaming. I reached out and clasped our hands together, I nearly growled when she tightened her hold to the point I could feel my bones creaking in protest, I bit my lip and remained quiet though because I knew whatever pain I was feeling, Rose was going through so much worse, for long minutes Rose whimpered and moaned in pain, until I felt her loosen her hold slightly and she sighed raggedly.

"Baby I'm really sor-"

"What is it with you and, ah, fucking apologising today" Rosalie clenched her jaw and shifted her legs which were covered with a thin sheet, I scoffed to myself, what was with everyone and brushing off my antics today?.

**Three hours earlier.**

I was seriously considering giving up, I mean six hours and thanks to my 'we're taking things slow' routine Laurent just kept moving around...stubborn jackass, why couldn't he just make things easy on us and head home.

"You know Rose is getting tired" Tanya interrupted my thoughts, I resisted the urge to snap something at back at her, did she honestly think I could _feel_ my mates wariness, during our wild goose case she'd started walking with Chelsea and Maria who were a few metres behind me, Tanya and Emmett.

"I know that..." I growled softly, I really didn't appreciate having to find go and chase Laurent, come on what was his problem, shouldn't he have snapped out of his illusion when he saw Felix...or was there more to it, maybe Felix was just in lust, except even I saw the instant connection with them, maybe I should've talked to Eleazar before coming out here.

"So why don't we go ahead, catch Laurent, hog tie him and drag him home-" Emmett cracked his knuckles suggestively which earned him a shocked look from Tanya "-What?, hes overreacting and there is plenty of things I'd rather be doing" Emmett defended himself and I couldn't help but agree, I stopped walking suddenly, forcing the others to do the same, I glanced over towards Rosalie as she slowly came closer to me, when she was within an arm's length I wrapped my arms around her shoulders, while she rested her head on my shoulder and she wrapped her arms around her swollen stomach.

"Okay we either give up and head back or like Em said, us three go on while you three stay here" I looked from each of their faces to gauge what they were thinking.

"I'm really tired" Rosalie sighed, my decision was instantly made, I didn't care what the others were thinking all that mattered to me was getting Rosalie home, fed and tucked up in our bed where she was staying until the shadows beneath her eyes went, I wasn't sure when they'd appeared and she shouldn't even have them since she'd fed off me earlier but, they were almost mocking my ability to take care of my mate and my young.

"Alrightie then lets go" Emmett declared, his golden eyes were trained on Rosalie which I gotta admit made me want to claw his eyes out which was totally irrational but the urge was there all the same.

"Fine, but lets make this quick I have an argument with Jasper to get to" Tanya announced earning her several amused looks, I shook my head gently before looking round the forest, I spotted rather large boulder near some bushes just three feet away from us when it occurred to me that Rosalie was leaning most of her weight on me, a wave of protectiveness gripped me and before I knew it I was lifting Rosalie into my arms bridal style and carrying her over the boulder, I set her down on the uneven surface and cupped the side of her beautiful face in my hands, she looked ill, like she had flu, fuck! I knew this was a bad idea, but did anyone listen to me, no, they just assume I'm being overprotective, from now on I was gonna be listening to my instincts when it comes to my mate.

"You go" Rosalie smiled softly, I clenched my jaw tightly, it felt like my feet were glued in place, I couldn't bring myself to turn away from her.

"If you want to stay with Rose I'll go instead" Chelsea offered.

"You won't be able to track him" I pointed out though I was grateful for her offer.

"Actually next to you two, I'm the fastest one here, I'm also the most efficient tracker" It sounded as though Chelsea were miles away from me when she spoke because all I could focus on was Rose, the fae in me was screaming that something was going to happen soon and that I should get my mate to some place that no one would be able to find us, I shook myself.

"Okay, Chelsea you come with me, Em and Tan you guys stay here" I spoke gently, I saw them nod out of the corner of my eye, I had to force myself to drop my hands away from Rose, I straightened my back and cleared my throat.

"Don't give me that look, I'll be fine, now get going" Rose grumbled even though her hand was covering her baby bump, I growled in the back of my throat before spinning on my heel and all but running through the forestry with Chelsea just behind me, rage was burning beneath my skin, why did Laurent have to pull a stunt like this when my mate needed me, I snarled violently, I ignored the birds that were suddenly abandoning their perches in the trees above me.

"Bella you do remember that we need Laurent alive right?" Chelsea asked from beside me.

"You mean Felix does...I don't" I growled dangerously, before breathing in deeply, the action calmed me somewhat, not entirely, but enough that I could concentrate on picking up Laurent's scent without imagining all the different ways I could kill him.

**Present time.**

I winced softly, remembering my unjustified anger, but at least now I knew it was just my Fae trying to make me see that my mate was about to go into labour. A soft whimper drew me away from my thoughts, after the first contraction, I'd settled onto the bed, Rosalie had snuggled into my side with her head resting on my shoulder and I'd wrapped my arms around her, trying to comfort her and keep myself calm.

"M'Kay how are you feeling?" Tanya suddenly burst into the room looking a little giddy, what the hell had she been up to?.

"How do you think...it fucking hurts" Rosalie hissed before crying out softly and shifting on the bed, over the last couple of hours, she shed her clothes and now only had the thin sheet covering her sweat soaked body.

"Uh huh Bella I'm gonna check how far along she is-" Tanya was suddenly urging me to stand up, I growled in reluctance but did so anyway when Rosalie started breathing heavily once again, her contractions had been coming on along stronger and a lot more frequent over the past few hours, I stood just behind Tanya, but when the Russian vampire just stood there with her shoulders hunched slightly "-Ahem that involves...touching her...down _there, _know what I mean?" Tanya tensed slightly while I froze in outrage, there was no fucking way I was standing here while Tanya touched _my _mate, suddenly a shrill scream left Rosalie's rosebud lips, I hissed loudly in response.

"Make it quick Tan, I don't know how long I'll be able to restrain myself" I wrapped my arms around my waist and backed up until my back hit the wall.

"Thats why I brought back-up" Tanya relaxed slightly while Chelsea, Kate and Irina came into the dimly lit room, the three of them were suddenly surrounding me, Irina moved in front of me, blocking my view of Rosalie, the last thing I saw was Tanya pulling the sheet down, exposing my mate's naked body before Irina's body was shielding Rose from my view, I growled dangerously, but I kept reminding myself over and over again that Tanya was there to help my mate, nothing more, but the fae wasn't satisfied with my explanation. I clenched my eyes shut tightly, while I felt Kate and Chelsea place restraining hands on my shoulders and Irina bent her knees slightly, obviously getting ready to try and stop me from killing her sister.

"Think about something else" Chelsea whispered into my ear, I growled again but I tried to think of something else except Tanya's hands on my mate, I tilted my head up, praying to whatever Gods listened to my kind that Tanya just would hurry the fuck up.

**One hour earlier, Maria's POV.**

"What is taking her so long?" Rosalie growled while placing her hands on her lower back and shifting around on the boulder Bella had set her on before she ran off, in the time Bella had been gone, the sun had set and the forest was now shrouded in darkness, it was eerie to say the least, or it would have been if I was still a human.

"I seriously wish I knew" I murmured before walking over to her, her brow was creased and she was constantly fidgeting, I looked closely at the mother-to-be noting the thin layer of sweat coating her forehead, I bit my lip gently and didn't voice my thoughts, there was no point in worrying the younger immortal...not right now anyway. Ten minutes went by before I heard a slight scuffling from up ahead, I tensed slightly just in case it was a threat.

"Oh thank you God" Rosalie sighed before getting to her feet, I relaxed slightly, trusting her instincts, and before I knew it Chelsea was sauntering back over to us, the petite vampire was pursing her lips gently as she walked.

"Where is Bella?" I asked the older vampire, Chelsea just waved her hand dismissively and smiled to herself softly, I rolled my eyes even though I felt a smile of my own tugging at my lips, I couldn't help it, the ancient vampire's obvious amusement was infectious.

"Right here-" I turned my head away from Chelsea to find Bella, with her hand on the nape of Laurent's neck, and if the wince the Frenchman was trying to conceal was any indication the young whatever-she-is' hold was merciless "-Now I'm gonna let you go but if you run I swear to God, Felix is gonna be one lonely vampire for the rest of eternity...understand?" Bella hissed to the Frenchman, who nodded stiffly, Bella made an irritated noise in the back of her throat before pushing the Frenchman in the direction of Emmett and Tanya, who were amusing themselves by carving boulders of different shapes and sizes into different animals, by this time they had a small detailed rabbit standing on its hind legs and tilting its head as if in question, they had a swan looking as though it were swimming in a lake, and Tanya was finishing the last touches of a small wolf cub, sat down and looking as though it was howling at the moon.

"You okay baby?" I returned my attention to Bella and Rosalie, Bella had her hand over Rosalie's baby bump and she was frowning deeply, oh whoever said ignorance is bliss was a complete and utter _idiota__._

"Something is wrong" The panic in Rosalie's voice had me moving closer to the young couple.

"Cramps?-" I asked the young blonde, she nodded gently, I reached up and pinched the bridge of my nose, did she really not know what her body was screaming at her "-We need to get you home" I declared softly.

"What?" Bella growled, oh dear, her neon blue eyes were shinning deeply with worry, I reached out and placed my hand on her shoulder when Laurent's lightly accented voice drifted out.

"Irina _is _my mate" I rolled my eyes at the Frenchman, personally I just wanted to find a way to knock him out so I could concentrate on the young couple in front of me.

"No Laurent shes really not...now lets get home" Tanya said softly.

"I'm not going home when theres fucking Volturi there" Laurent scowled.

"They're our family now _cabrón"_I spat over my shoulder even though I knew I didn't really have the right to call them my family just yet, but I really wanted to.

"Not in my eyes" Laurent growled back, I barely resisted the urge to walk over there and smack him upside the head cause seriously he needed one.

"What did Felix do to deserve this?" Chelsea murmured to herself, I looked over at the smaller vampire, to find her looking at Laurent like he was something she'd scraped off her boot.

"I'm sure Laurent just needs time to get used to the idea" Tanya laughed in an obvious attempt to relieve the tension building.

"Maria...whats wrong with Rose?" I refocused on Bella. Her eyes were now jet black with worry, while Laurent continued insisting that Irina was his mate not Felix.

"I think you know Bells" I murmured gently.

"I refuse to be mated to a man!, I'm not gay!" Laurent suddenly yelled so loudly his voice echoed through the forest, just as Rosalie suddenly cried out and doubled over clutching her stomach, shit, not now, I mentally cursed. Bella snarled so violently that I instinctively backed away from the far superior predator, a shiver of fear slid up and down my spine as the others fell silent. Rosalie's cries died down to small whimpers of pain and confusion.

"Rose?" Bella whispered brokenly.

"Baby...is...coming" Rosalie groaned suddenly, Bella froze as Rosalie clutched at her, I looked to Tanya and found her inching towards them slowly, God did she have a death wish or what.

"Now we have _got _to get moving" Emmett growled and grabbed Laurent's upper arm.

"No I'm not going back there!" Laurent snarled and tried jerking away from the clearly stronger vampire.

"Maria lend us a hand" Chelsea called over to me in her exotic accent, I winced when Rosalie started panting in pain, but I followed the older vampire and along with Emmett we successfully subdued Laurent's struggles.

"Bella you need to let me..." I watched as Tanya moved closer to Rosalie, I could see it coming but I was helpless to stop it, I started to call out a warning to the concerned vampire but the next second Bella was turning towards her, her face a mask of animistic protectiveness for her mate, now leaning back against the boulder, suddenly Bella was wrapping her hand around Tanya's throat tightly and the Russian vampire was clutching Bella's wrist, I let go of Laurent and I was about to rush over to Bella when I felt Chelsea place a hand on my forearm, I looked down to where I could feel heat travelling up my arm from where Chelsea was touching me.

"Let me" Chelsea said gently before hurrying towards the flailing vampire, I watched as Chelsea started whispering softly to Bella, after long seconds, Bella let go of Tanya and picked Rosalie up bridal style before walking past us all with shame clouding her face. Chelsea was now checking on Tanya, the blonde was clutching her throat and coughing as a reflex of her abused jugular.

"Well in medical school they tells us all about those kinds of situations but damn..." Tanya forced out in a hoarse voice as she walked past us, I smirked at her, even as Emmett choked out a laugh.

"Tanya you dumbass" I growled at her, as I started walking alongside her and Chelsea.

"Just tell me I'm your number one dumbass" Tanya coughed with a cocky smirk, I caught Chelsea's eye from Tanya's other side, I smiled uncertainly before returning my attention to Tanya.

"Yeah...sure" I drawled absently.

**Present time.**

"You are never touching me again!" I flinched but grinned nonetheless when Rosalie screamed yet again, from beside me on the couch Alice tried to smother a smile.

"Now thats a threat" I murmured gently.

"Rose stop threatening Bella with no sex and push please" Tanya growled.

"Why am I the one that has to push...shes the one that did this!-" Rose shrieked loudly "-Her and her fae shittt!" Rosalie cried out, I winced slightly.

"I'm so glad I'm not in there" Alice drawled, I nodded automatically, even though I would have liked to spend more time with Chelsea.

"Get her out!" Rosalie screamed from upstairs.

"I can't...you have to push!" Tanya shouted back.

"Fuck I'm gonna kill you!" Rosalie growled at who I was assuming was Bella.

"I know!" Bella replied in a panicked voice which had me grinning, God I think I'm retaining some of my sadistic tenancies.

"Rose get your priorities sorted, do you really want to kill B more than you want to 'get her out'?" I got the feeling that Tanya was either smirking or scowling.

"Kill" Rosalie panted, I couldn't help it, I burst out laughing along with Alice.

"It is so wrong that I find this funny" I chuckled helplessly.

"Ah speak for yourself...I keep seeing Rose throwing knives at Bella" I snorted softly before I turned and met Alice's eyes again, I don't know what happened but we were both clutching our sides while laughing again.

"Shhh-" I tried to get control over myself "-Cut it out" I hissed when Alice kept laughing causing me to laugh along with her.

"Can't..." Alice chuckled softly, suddenly the laughter died down when the soft unmistakable cries of a newborn baby could be heard, I sighed happily, and leaned back in the couch while Alice smiled and practically bounced on the couch beside me.

"What do you fucking mean theres another one!" Rosalie suddenly yelled, I gasped softly, before looking over at the excited pixie, who looked like Christmas had come early.

"Uh oh" I muttered before Rosalie started crying out again.

"Start running you fucking...breeder!" Rosalie snarled from up stairs.

"What the hell kind of insult is that?" Alice asked from beside me, still smiling manically.

"Don't ask me" I muttered.

"Are you kidding me...I'm never leaving your side" _Aww_ I mouthed at Alice when Bella spoke.

"What about if I shove a pitchfork up your ass!...my God...you are so dead for doing this to me!" Rosalie shouted softly.

"Do you think it'll be a girl or a boy?" Alice murmured quietly.

"Ask me when I'm not seeing Rosalie chasing Bella with the damn pitchfork-" I answered quickly, Alice sniggered beside me "-Don't start that again pixie" I warned, just as there was another bout of crying from upstairs, I smiled widely.

"If those babies know whats good for them...they'll be girls" I finally drawled to Alice who looked like she wanted to run upstairs.

**Rosalie's POV.**

"My God..." I murmured, I felt drained and everything hurt, though I managed to force my eyes open when I heard Bella purring gently, my mate was cradling one of our babies while Tanya awkwardly cradled the other.

"Hey..." Bella smiled, her neon blue eyes were dark with emotion as she walked carefully over to me, I smiled weakly but my eyes were trained on the precious bundle in her arms, Bella sat on the edge of the bed and carefully lowered our baby into my arms, my breath caught in the back of my throat when my eyes were met with the most beautiful sight I'd ever seen, my baby had her eyes closed, I could see light blonde eyebrows above her massive eyes, damn I wanted her to have Bella's hair colour, suddenly I heard another cry from across the room, I looked up to find Tanya hurrying over to me.

"You drop her and you're dead" I growled, I was completely serious.

"Ha ha I'm not that clumsy...and ah, its a boy" My eyes widened in shock, as Tanya handed my _son _over to my mate, I could feel my eyes begin to burn with tears of happiness.

"Ha pay up!" My eyes landed on Irina who was grinning and holding her hand out to Kate, the Russian vampires along with Chelsea were standing by the door, I smirked softly while Kate reached into the back pocket and pulled out a very old looking piece of paper, I arched my eyebrow at them.

"Oh I bet that you'd have twins" Irina explained while taking the piece of paper off her sister who was pursing her lips.

"And I bet that you'd just have a girl" Kate forced out between gritted teeth.

"You're making money off my children" I narrowed my eyes on Irina who blanched softly.

"Actually this is the deed to a villa in the south of France...but I'll take them on vacation when they're old enough" Irina shrugged.

"No way...I'm not letting them out of my sight" I looked back down to my daughter and became transfixed when I found her eyes wide open, they were a beautiful pale blue, so different compared to mine and Bella's.

"Hello" I whispered gently, she gurgled gently making me smile widely, suddenly a loud sniff had me looking away from the perfection that was my baby girl.

"It times like this I'm glad my tear ducts are frozen" Irina announced.

"Well mine aren't you heartless twit" Tanya sobbed, Chelsea moved forward and placed a hand on Tanya's shoulder, I rolled my eyes at the older vampire before tilting my head to the side, Bella was ignoring the interaction across from us and instead was purring softly down at our son, God I was never gonna get tired of saying that, _my son, my daughter, my mate, my family._

"What are you gonna call them?" Kate asked softly, I smiled down at my little blonde angel that was glancing up at me with intelligent eyes, abruptly a thought came to me, I bit my lip and thought for a moment, before smiling widely.

"Ashley" I looked over at Bella who frowned slightly before looking down at our daughter and nodded slightly, I glanced down to the bundle in Bella's arms and I found that my son was glancing up at with with the same blue eyes as his sister, and he had light blonde eyebrows, I smiled anyway, both my babies were angelic, there was no other way to describe them.

"How about...Lucas?" I smiled up at Bella.

"Perfect" I murmured while Ashley and Lucas, in usion, yawned widely, I smiled lovingly at the action.

"I think my heart just started beating again-" Tanya cried "-I'm okay" Tanya choked and held her hand up, I sighed happily, I couldn't believe that they were finally here, the one thing I'd longed for was finally here, in my arms, I cleared my throat several times but those damn tears were insistent little bastards.

"Thanks Tan..." I muttered before I felt the first tears slide down my cheek.

"I'm sorry" Tanya whined.

"No you're not" I choked out feeling raw emotion bubble up inside me, it all seemed like a dream, one that I never wanted to wake up from.

"Bella we're gonna take our emotional mess and leave you to yours" Irina suddenly declared and wrapped her arms around Tanya, promptly dragging her from the room with Kate and Chelsea close behind. I breathed in deeply several times, slowly calming myself.

"Come here" I whispered gently, Bella quickly shifted onto our bed, careful not to scare Lucas, after excruciatingly long seconds my mate was beside me on our large bed, I kept my eyes on Ashley as I rested my head on Bella's shoulder.

"I can't believe it" Bella said gently while resting her head onto of mine.

"Mmm...you gave me two of them-" I muttered, I grinned when I felt her stiffen against me "-And I love you even more for it" I smiled when she sighed.

"I love you too baby"

**TBC. . .**

**AN: I'm gonna leave it there, but I would love to hear your thoughts on this chapter cause I'm really not sure about it. Right next chapter, I'm thinking Dickward is gonna get killed (at last!), Bella's parents come back into play, Tanya and Jasper have a moment. **

**Now I'm kinda at a crossroads with Laurent, I have a scenario where he turns into a complete asshole and it turns out Felix was just in lust with him, or I have one where he comes to terms** **with everything and learns to accept Felix, which one do you guys wanna see?. Til next time. **


	28. Chapter 28

Title: Coming Home

Pairing(s): Bella/Rosalie, Leah/Alice, Victoria/Esme, Tanya/Jasper, Emmett/Kate, Alec/Seth, Jane/Jacob.

Rating: M.

Disclaimer: Nothing is mine it all belongs to Stephanie Meyer.

Summary: The Cullens left in new moon, Victoria changed Bella, together along with Seth, Jacob and Leah they've lived in Forks for over a century, what happens when the Cullens come back?.

**AN1: Whoever said taking four A-levels was a good idea was an total freaking idiot...hey guys, I knows it been like twenty days but in my defence I got into a fight with some essays that needed writing. Okie dokie as always I'm gonna start off by saying thanks for all the amazing reviews, alerts and favourites. Oh and I needs to point some things out before we get onto the update so here goes.**

**AN2: The twins are going to age like normal babies, cause to be honest that was the only thing in the books that really put me off and obviously the fact that fuckward didn't get killed off.**

**AN3: As far as the Felix/Laurent situation goes, the scores are; four of you guys wanted L turn into an asshole and three of you wanted them to be together, but good news you kinda just picked who Felix's real mate is gonna be, and I promise I'll make you hate Laurent almost as much as fuckward.**

**AN4: Oh and Chelsea/Maria is on the cards, just in case you're wondering. _And _last bit I promise, this chapter is gonna have some mature themes going on, and for once it ain't smut, I know I'm shooked too ;)**

**Chapter twenty eight, Alice's POV.**

"-Aww"

"-Shh they're trying to sleep"

"-I know but...aww!" I exclaimed excitedly, I couldn't believe my own eyes, I was in the twin's room, standing over their shared cot along with Emmett, Jasper and Bella, who had point blank refused to leave us alone with the gorgeous little angels now sleeping soundlessly beneath their white blanket, but then again if I had kids of my own I wouldn't want to leave them either.

"They are really...cute" Jasper agreed in his southern twang with an adoring smile plastered to his face, I smirked to myself, looks like these little angels had their uncle Jazzy wrapped around their tiny little pinkies already, damn they worked fast, I still couldn't get over how _small_ they were, I mean it wasn't like I'd never seen a baby before but these two were just so...words couldn't even describe how precious they were.

"Yeah I just wanna hug them and never let 'em go" I glanced up at Emmett to find the bigger vampire grinning from ear to ear as he looked down at them, well at least Ashley and Lucas would have a play mate, I shrugged.

"You crush them and I'll break you" Bella warned, I looked toward my sister and low and behold she wasn't joking, I could tell by the way her body was corded with barely disguised power and she kept glancing from Ashley and Lucas, up to where Emmett stood grinning down at them, her neon blue eyes were practically glowing while Emmett was completely oblivious to everything around him including Bella's dark glare, hell I could probably dress him in a pink tutu and he wouldn't notice at this point.

"Which one is older?" I found myself murmuring quietly, when Ashley started gurgling softly to herself in her sleep, clearly she didn't like her nap being interrupted by her admirers.

"Ashley" Bella answered mechanically, she was still tilting her head from between her children and Emmett cautiously, I rolled my eyes gently, honestly how could Bella's inner fae see Emmett as a threat, he was like a giant, fuzzy, teddy bear, in fact I would place my extensive shoe collection on the twins being able to kick their uncle Em's ass all across the country, even at this age.

"You know they look a lot like you, well a blonde version of you anyway" I smiled softly at Bella when she finally pulled her calculating gaze away from Emmett, I smiled when the aggressive glow left her eyes.

"You think?" Bella asked gently before looking closely at the twins while they slept.

"Duh, I mean they obviously got Rose's hair colour, but everything else is all you, I just hope they have Rose's passion for fashion...hey that rhymes" I grinned excitedly.

"Uh oh I think the pixie is gonna need her fix any second now" I scowled at Jasper suddenly but all the Texan did was wink charmingly at me, I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from grinning back at him.

"Excuse me, I do not need to go shopping every couple hours, I can control myself" I assured them.

"Who said anything about shopping? Did you Em?" Jasper asked the taller vampire, Emmett pursed his lips softly, before turning to look closely at me.

"Nah I was thinking tall like six foot three-ish, lightly muscled, loves a good fight, we haven't seen her in a while...ringing any bells?" I laughed mockingly before raising my hand gracefully and flipping my highly annoying brothers off, though they did have a point, I should be getting back to Leah.

"Hey at least I'm not stupid enough to call my woman a nympho" I replied smartly, though I did regret it when Jasper's jaw clenched tightly.

"I didn't call her a..."

"Guys if wake my children I'll rip you to shreds" Bella growled, I sent her an apologetic look as did Jasper and Emmett.

"Ahem...I didn't call Tanya a nympho, I just..." Jasper started off in a much softer voice, it was so quiet that a human wouldn't be able to hear him.

"You more or less implied it" I whispered back to him, he scowled softly before looking to Emmett and Bella for support.

"Its true" Emmett nodded making Jasper sigh before looking to Bella for assistance.

"Hey you didn't hear the three of them during their card game..." Bella trailed off when Jasper's eyes started darkening with worry.

"Was she really that upset?" Jasper murmured more to himself than to the rest of us, I quickly walked round the cot to place a comforting hand on his broad shoulder, the moment my hand was fully resting on him, I suddenly felt myself being pulled away from reality, I stiffened gently as a vision played out in front of my mind's eye, the images were all an undistinguishable blur of colour but the words that Jasper spoke were clear as day;

"_Tanya...will you make me the happiest man on Earth and be my wife?"_

"Ali...you okay?" I shook my head violently effectively bringing myself back to reality and the worried faces of my siblings.

"What did you see?" Bella murmured with a frown, I looked up at Jasper, my soon-to-be-ex husband was looking at me with such concern that made my next decision so much easier, I mean I should've done this much sooner, I don't know why I didn't.

"We have _got _to get divorced like ASAP-" I declared, making Jasper's eyes widen in shock, I rolled my own eyes, before pulling my phone out of the front pocket of my skinny jeans "-Emmett name a vampire with a law degree" I said to the bigger vampire as I scanned through my list of contacts.

"You know I'm pretty sure Irina does" Emmett murmured gently.

"Thats convenient" I muttered before closing my exiting my list of contacts and shoving my phone back into my pocket.

"I'll go get her" Emmett suddenly exclaimed and before I knew it my brother was rushing from the room.

"We should have done this ages ago" I said to Jasper who still looked like I'd just told him that I was going to take him on a shopping spree instead of 'I'm setting you free', at least until he decided to pop the question that was, I sighed suddenly, this was perfect, it meant that I could tie myself to Leah, in every way possible, except literally because that would just cause serious problems, I smirked at the thought.

"Yeah we should've" Jasper nodded slowly in agreement.

"This is a pretty big step you know" Bella spoke up gently, I turned to her and gave her a look that could only be read as, 'ya think?'.

"Yes but we're in love with different people now, it would be kinda insulting to them if we stayed married, don't you think?-" I pointed out "-Besides its not like we agreed to stay together forever" I added.

"Ah technically we did, but its already been like six or seven lifetimes so..." Jasper trailed off with a shrug.

"Hey Rose and Emmett...they're not still..."

"Oh God no...They sort of...drifted apart after...well, after we left you" I stuttered uncharacteristically, I still couldn't believe we fell for Edward's bullshit lies, I of all people should have realised that Bella would never have wanted us to go.

"Yeah I'm surprised Rose didn't tell you herself" Jasper said crossing his arms over his chest.

"Well things have been hectic as of late-" I pointed out, making them both nod in agreement "-Speaking of which...this whole thing with Marcus...what are you gonna do?" I asked gently, making Bella scowl softly.

"Uch I don't know...on one hand I feel like I owe it to him cause he kept me safe when he could've just handed me over to Aro...but on the other hand, I don't want to knowingly endanger these two or Rose" Bella placed her hands on the sides of the twin's cot and looked down at them lovingly.

"Well whatever your decision you know you got us...all of us and we're all here for you...I'm not too sure about Laurent though" I arched my eyebrow cynically making both Jasper and Bella smirk softly.

"Why do you guys need a lawyer?" Irina sauntered into the twin's room in a swift and graceful move that had me feeling slightly envious, she was dressed in a pair of boy shorts and a tank top that might as well of been painted on it was that tight, I scowled softly, did Heidi know she was wearing that cause there was no way in hell I'd let Leah walk around the house showing off that much skin.

"Me and Jazz need to get divorced" I said quickly, making the older vampire frown and cross her arms over her breasts.

"I thought you already were" Irina murmured before running her hands through her long silvery blonde hair that she'd left to run down her back leaving the ends to touch the small of her back.

"Not legally" Jasper replied curtly, Irina glanced around at us all before a slow grin spread across her face.

"Why are you discussing legal matters over two adorable little...Gremlins" Irina asked gently.

"Hey!" Bella growled making Irina grin softly.

"I could've came up with something a lot worse...besides its true, come on, lets talk about this in the dining room" Irina turned on her heel and walked out the room confidently.

"Am I the only one who thinks shes been getting some all night?" Jasper suddenly grinned.

"Jazz you would've had to have been deaf to ignore those two last night-" Bella grinned softly "-But we should leave these two to sleep" Bella sighed, I nodded and silently made my way over towards the door, I could feel Jasper close behind me, at the door I turned to find Bella leaning down close to the twins, I forcibly resisted the urge to listen in on what my sister was whispering to her children, but damn it was tempting.

"Come on Ali...lets go get divorced" I felt Jasper's hand on my shoulder and before I knew it we were walking down the hall side-by-side.

**Chelsea's POV.**

"Alright Chelsea its your turn...who was your worst ever lover" Kate drawled, I bit my lower lip gently and thought for a while, mainly how I got into this situation. I was sat in the living room with Kate, Tanya, Carmen, Heidi and Maria, five of us had been up all night playing a million questions, Heidi had only been present for the last few due to her 'nightly activities' with Irina while Eleazar tried to explain to Laurent what was actually going on with Irina and Heidi in his study and I had no idea where Felix was but I had faith that the young vampire wouldn't have gone too far...hopefully.

"Earth to Chelsea, come in Chelsea" Tanya purred interrupting my thoughts, I blinked rapidly before focusing on the younger vampires looking at me expectantly, Kate and Tanya were sat shoulder to shoulder on the floor with their backs leaning against the couch opposite to the one I was perched on with Heidi sitting next to me, while Carmen and Maria were sat on the couch that Kate and Tanya were leaning back against looking like lazy cats.

"Mmm now thats a difficult one..." I sighed dramatically "...But I think I'm gonna go with...Eurydice of Macedonia-" I finally decided though judging from their blank looks they didn't have a clue about who I was on about "-Cleopatra" I finally growled.

"-Ooh" They all drawled as one.

"Yes 'ooh' she was attractive enough but that girl really didn't know what to do with her tongue" I shuddered for emphasis making them all smirk.

"I thought she married that Philip guy" Tanya murmured from on the floor.

"She did" I batted my eyelashes at the younger blonde.

"Ooh player" Tanya grinned.

"For now" My eyes landed on Maria instinctively, though she wasn't looking at me, instead she was more focused on what Carmen was whispering, I narrowed my eyes softly when I saw a smile playing at the corner of Maria's full lips courtesy of Carmen no doubt, I cleared my throat before returning my gaze to the other vampires.

"Savour it while you can" Tanya advised.

"Tanya I've been on my own for over three thousand years, I think I'm ready to bid the single's life 'goodbye'" I found my eyes straying towards Maria once again, only this time I found dark, almost black eyes starring back at me, I found myself leaning forward slightly without really noticing I was doing it, but her eyes were just to...smouldering, I felt as though she wasn't just looking at me but trying to find something inside of me which had me shivering slightly, not in fear but in anticipation.

"Ya have a point-" Tanya conceded "-Alright what question are we on?"

"Nine hundred and seventy thousand three hundred and six" Carmen offered.

"Huh we still got at least thirty thousand left. Okay Heidi, how is Irina in bed nowadays?" Tanya suddenly asked making everyone chuckle at her bluntness, I leaned back slowly so I could look at Heidi.

"Lets just say that when it comes to your sister _la petite morte _should be _la grande morte, _and thats all I'm gonna say about that" Heidi purred seductively before leaning back and offering us all a satisfied smirk.

"I did not need that picture" Kate finally growled.

"Damn sister where were you last night?" Tanya drawled earning her a dark look from Kate, Tanya held her hands up and tilted her head back to look up at Carmen.

"My turn?- she asked gently "-Okay, so I have always wanted to ask you this, back in eighteen sixty did you actually..." Carmen trailed off gently.

"Ooh yeah" Kate purred with a wide grin.

"Do what?-" Tanya suddenly asked, Kate looked away from her sister while Carmen pretended to take an interest in the carpet beneath her bare feet"-Well?" Tanya prompted.

"Umm you know those hot Puerto Rican triplets..." Kate started, Tanya nodded swiftly "...Well theres a reason they never made it to your room that night..."

"Obviously...wait are you saying that I missed out on my action because of you?" Tanya growled.

"More or less" Kate clenched her eyes shut clearly expecting her sister to hit her or yell at her or...something.

"I gotta admit...I'm proud of you sister" Kate's eyes flew open in time for Tanya to wrap one arm around her shoulders slowly "-I didn't know you had it in you-" Tanya drawled while drawing Kate closer to her, I felt sorry for Kate as she was clearly Tanya to flip out, I looked over at Carmen to find the other vampire watching the two sisters with her lips parted slightly "-I mean those boys were hung like..." Tanya was cut off by a violent snarl coming from the open doorway, I shifted slightly as did everyone else, I found Jasper leaning against the door with his arms crossed over his chest, his golden eyes were darkening slowly and a steady growl was emitting from his chest.

"I think thats our cue to leave" I said gently to my sisters, they all nodded in agreement and tensed to stand up.

"Aww come on we haven't finished" Tanya whined, I smiled sympathetically before standing up gracefully and and walking across the room, I smirked gently when Jasper kept his attention firmly trained on Tanya.

"I'm gonna go and get ready for school...but you have fun" Kate sniggered before jogging across the room , past me and Jasper and out the door, Carmen was next to saunter out the room with a soft smile plastered to her face. When Maria stood up up off the couch and walked past me slowly I had to resist the overwhelming urge to follow her out the room, though I found my eye trained on her retreating back as she walked towards the grand stair case at a leisurely pace.

"Ahem...Chelsea?" I dragged my eyes away from Maria and looked up at Heidi, I arched my eyebrow at my protégé slowly, before walking out the living room, I waited for Heidi to come out as well before pulling the door closed, offering Tanya and Jasper as much privacy as you could get in a house full of vampires.

"Whats wrong?" I murmured to the young vampire, Heidi made an irritated noise in the back of her throat and rolled her red eyes.

"Whats going on with you and Maria?" Heidi asked openly, I pursed my lips gently, Heidi had never been one to beat around the bush and I had never held anything back from her but I really didn't know how to answer this one.

"I don't know" I murmured before taking slow steps into the open foyer, Heidi was close behind me as I pulled open the front door, I inhaled deeply, sighing at the mixture of scents that caressed my senses, there was something so tantalising about the morning air, I walked forward towards the stairs that lead down to the grounds that were covered in freshly fallen snow and sat on the top step, I barely registered the cold temperature as Heidi settled next to me.

"Do you want something to happen?" Heidi asked gently, I smirked sadly and rested my hands on my thighs.

"Shes...alluring" I muttered and glanced towards the horizon, the sun was just starting to rise, casting dark shadows across the mansion and the forest surrounding it.

"So basically...you do" I didn't have to look to know that Heidi was smiling knowingly.

"Shes not my mate...she can't be" Even though it was the truth I couldn't ignore the painful tightening of my chest, and the way the more primal side of me snarled in protest.

"I don't think thats the truth..." My head whipped to the side instinctively, Heidi grinned slowly "...When you think about being with someone else...what do you feel?" I clenched my jaw tightly, not willing to admit to the younger vampire that the thought of being with anyone else made me feel nothing but disgust.

"Shes already been mated though" I could feel the animal just below the surface of my skin roar in jealousy, I couldn't stand knowing that someone else had touched Maria, brought her happiness, protected her, comforted her, I stood up swiftly and clenched my fists when I thought about someone else pleasuring her, I could feel my eyes darkening dangerously.

"Look I'm not saying that she didn't love Rodrigo...I'm just saying that maybe she got confused...theres been a lot of that going on lately" Heidi reasoned quietly, I quickly squashed the hope rising up within me, seriously what were the chances.

"Vampires don't go on rampages because someone we love has been killed...we go rampages because our mate has been killed...look at Caius" I snapped, my accent was deepening with each syllable.

"Yes but Caius has never even looked at another woman or man in the way he looked at his mate, Maria looks at you with confusion and longing..." I bit my lower lip gently, already I could imagine Maria filling my arms just like she was steadily beginning to fill the hole in my chest. I turned to face Heidi, the voluptuous brunette was smiling hopefully.

"How do I convince her to me a chance though?" I asked, Heidi frowned slightly before her eyes started glowing slightly.

"Personally?-" I nodded when she glanced up at me tentatively "-I'd become her fuck buddy" I laughed loudly at Heidi's predictable answer.

"Why am I not surprised?" I chuckled.

"Its not what you think...listen, if you just come out and say 'I don't think the man you loved was actually your mate' shes just gonna bitch slap you and never give you the time of day again"

"Whereas if I get in her pants shes just gonna say 'I want to be with you forever'" I drawled sarcastically.

"No!, if she did I'd be worried, jeez what planet are you from?-" Heidi smirked "-You can't _say_ that Rodrigo wasn't her mate but you can _show_ her that he wasn't" Heidi explained slowly as though she were talking to a dunce.

"Thats your plan huh?" I purred.

"You got anything better?" Heidi growled, I shook my head slightly, I couldn't believe I was about to do this, but Heidi did have a point, words were like weapons, capable of delivering fatal damage to the wielder if used the wrong way and when it came to Maria I couldn't take that risk.

**Tanya's POV.**

"So are ya gonna tell me what you want or are you going to growl all day...cause if its the latter, I'm just gonna go and pester Carmen" I hadn't moved off the floor, which was a really bad move on my part because it made Jasper look that much more imposing, my mate was standing in front of the door, blocking my only chance at retreat. I rolled my eyes softly when Jasper continued to growl gently, before I dragged myself up off the floor, I walked forward purposefully only to have him grab my wrist when I made to move past him. I looked up at him and arched my eyebrow in question, the only reason I was breaking his hold on me was because he'd stopped with the whole 'grrr' act.

"Me and Alice...we just got divorced" Jasper said gently and he let go of my arm, I crossed my arms quickly but I stayed close to him.

"You knew it was going to happen eventually" I said just as softly.

"Yes but...I feel as though an era is over...I mean I was with Alice for over two hundred years-"

"Whereas you've been with me for a grand total of three weeks...where are you going with this?" I snapped a little harshly, but I couldn't help it, there was nothing I hated more than being called a 'slut'.

"I guess I'm just trying to say that I'm sorry for what I said" Jasper finally sighed raggedly, I smirked sadly when he fell silent, obviously expecting me to come back at him with a sarcastic remark which I normal would've done.

"I appreciate it" I finally murmured and tensed to move past him once again, I got three steps in before I felt his hand on my shoulder, his hold was gently yet forceful, I noted before I turned back around to face him, his expression was a mask of confusion.

"Somehow I get the feeling that I've done something else" Jasper shook his head gently and frowned deeply, I suddenly felt really tired, probably my body's way of telling me I needed to hunt either that or my instincts of self-preservation were kicking in, I mean who wants to tell their mate about all the degrading things they were forced into when they were barely twelve years old and the fact that it had been my father initiating them just made me feel that much smaller.

"You know Jazz...I don't know what amazes me more the fact that you haven't even asked why I reacted the way I did...or that it took Alice's input for you to apologise to me" I said gently, even though it was bullshit, I knew that the former bothered me a lot more than the latter simply because I knew that there was nothing between Alice and Jasper anymore save for the affection that we all felt for our siblings, but if and when I chose to relay all the details regarding my demeaning past to Jasper, I wasn't gonna do it while Heidi and Chelsea were just outside, I knew they were there but I couldn't bring myself to listen in on what they were saying to each other, it just seemed too intrusive at present.

"Tanya me and Alice..."

"Save it...I need to get ready for school" I tensed my shoulder beneath his hand, silently asking him to let go, his jaw clenched tightly but he did so without complaining.

"Fine" Jasper snarled resentfully, I winced softly, but nonetheless I turned on my heel and made my way upstairs, when I stepped into mine and Jasper's bedroom, I found Irina and Kate sitting on my bed, their eyes were jet black and their facial expressions were full of grim, sadness.

"You think I should have told him don't you?" I muttered before closing the door.

"-Yes and no" Irina answered honestly.

"-Nope" Kate answered at the same time, earning her a dark look from Irina that had her wincing.

"What I mean is...I think you should tell him...but that was neither the time nor the place" Irina clarified.

"And I just meant what I said" Kate drawled, I smiled softly in response.

"Yeah well if I decide to tell him it'll be on my terms" I declared stubbornly.

"You know your relationship is gonna suffer for that" Irina replied making me roll my eyes.

"Somehow I think it'll suffer more if I just walk up to him and say 'Baby...I was sexually abused as a child as was Kate and Irina...by my our father no less" I scowled deeply at them.

"Of course not" Irina replied and lowered her head slightly in shame.

"Yeah...you don't walk...you strut" Kate grinned suddenly making Irina chuckle in amusement.

"I do not strut...I-I saunter around" I frowned to myself.

"Okay...you win" Kate held her hands up in surrender, I grinned helplessly at my younger sister, no matter what she always seemed to be able to lighten my dark moods.

"Uh huh...but seriously, I'll tell him when I'm ready...alright?" I looked from Irina to Kate, both of my sisters faces were completely absent of emotion but I could tell that the memories of a past life replaying inside their heads, it had started when our mother left our father for another man, he'd started spending more and more time at the village tavern and he'd come back steaming drunk. Only one night he'd brought some 'friends' that he owed a lot of money to, home with him, they'd come into the room that I shared with Irina and Kate. The next thing I knew three large middle aged men were holding us down and pushing our night gowns up while our father watched on with a sickeningly satisfied look on his face, when they had finished with us our father lead them out of our house, only to come back into our room while we'd cried and held on to each other, only to inform us that next time we better learn to enjoy it. The next night our father had brought his 'friends' back with him again and this soon became our nightly routine. Over time we'd learned to fake enjoyment while they used our bodies but the self-disgust that we felt never faded, even to this day. But thankfully, it was five years later that a beautiful woman had moved into town, a beautiful woman with strange golden eyes, everytime she looked at me in town I just sensed that she knew what happened. Then one night my father didn't come back at the usual hour, I remembered sharing a hopeful look with my sisters as we lounged in our room, the hours past and before I knew it I was waking up the next day with the sun shining into our room, I had gotten out of bed and quickly searched the cabin, when I found nothing I had run back into our room and shaken my sisters awake. The day had past quickly, while we carried out the household chores and that night he still hadn't come back, instead the beautiful blonde woman with the strange golden eyes had materialised out of nowhere, at first me, Irina and Kate had been wary of her but as the days past, she fed us, made sure we were clean and she took care of all the chores on her own which had earned her major points with Kate. Then one night almost a week later she'd sat us down at the table and told us that our father wasn't coming back, I could still see it now, all three of us had hurried forward and enveloped her in a large hug filled with so much gratitude it had barely registered to me that her skin was as hard rock and she was colder than the winter snows that our village suffered annually from, she'd saved us that was all that mattered. Several years later when I was twenty one, Irina was nineteen and Kate was seventeen, Sasha had declared her intention to leave the village without...us, Kate had burst into tears, Irina had clenched her jaw and her eyes had begun to shine with tears that stubbornly refused to fall while I felt as though my entire world was being torn apart. We'd all pleaded with her to stay, but she'd gently but firmly declined saying that we didn't need her anymore, but it wasn't true, she was our mother, the person we always ran to when things got to be too much because we knew she would protect us from anything. When we'd woken up the next day Sasha was gone as though she'd never been. Irina had shed a few tears before stating that she was going out into the fields, Kate had cried hysterically even when I held her against me, murmuring that everything would be fine. As the days past, Irina became more and more distant, Kate wouldn't say a word to either of us while I just felt emotionally exhausted, so instead of holding my sisters until they drifted into sleep as was still our routine, I snuck out of the cabin and headed into town where I met a burly man outside the tavern, I didn't know what came over me but before I had time to think about it I was letting him lead me around to the back of the tavern, I was pushed up against the wall and he'd eagerly covered my lips with his, the moment his sloppy lips covered mine and his wet tongue and began pushing past my lips I'd turned ridged, images of several others doing the same thing assaulting me as his large hands started groping at my breasts, I'd begun to struggle against him but it was useless because he was so much bigger than I was, after long seconds of him ignoring my pleas I was about to give up and let the inevitable take place when I felt his weight being lifted, I slumped against the wall and watched as a familiar blonde tore the oaf to shreds.

"Yo earth to Tanya!" I came out of my thoughts to find both Kate and Irina standing mere inches away from me with concerned frowns on their faces.

"Sorry I was just...remembering" I shivered gently, remembering the look on Sasha's face when she'd stalked back towards me, her eyes were black with undisguised rage and her dress and her hands were both absolutely covered in blood, she'd lifted me into her arms and ran back to our cabin all the while deep throated growls had been falling from her lips, she'd set me on my bed while Kate and Irina had hurried in from outside, both frozen with shock at the sight of the woman who had taken care of us since we were children drenched in blood. After Sasha was satisfied that no lasting damage had been dealt she stood off to the side, letting Irina and Kate settle beside me. Sasha soon began explaining what she was and what she had to do now that I had seen what she could do, neither of us could've been happier that we would spend eternity with the woman that had come to mean so much to us.

"Yeah, who of thought?" Irina smirked humourlessly.

"You know you never did explain why you went out that night" Kate looked at me expectantly, I sighed harshly.

"I honestly don't know...you weren't talking to me...you were being a cold bitch-" I said to Irina making her wince "-And I just didn't want to live anymore" I admitted gently.

"Fucking hell Tanya" Irina snarled violently while Kate's eye darkened.

"Its in the past...along with all that other crap" I assured them, Kate smiled slightly before nodding in satisfaction.

"We were all in a bad place...thanks to that perverted fucker" Irina shivered gently in disgust.

"True" Kate murmured gently.

"Yeah...but how do I tell Jasper...should I even tell him?" I asked them.

"Its your decision...but I am going to tell Heidi at one point" Irina replied gently.

"But what if they want to leave us...because we..." Kate's jaw clenched.

"We didn't have a choice...he would've killed us if we hadn't" I reached out and wrapped my arm around Kate's shoulders.

"But what if they would rather we let him kill us?" Kate stiffened gently against me.

"Kate do you honestly think that Emmett will leave you just because of this?" Irina asked softly, Kate's silence spoke volumes.

"We did what we did to survive...not because we enjoyed it" I rested my head on top of Kate's while Irina wrapped her arm around our sister.

"And don't forget it, little one" Irina whispered comfortingly.

**Bella's POV.**

I smiled gently when I heard Rosalie quietly come into the twin's room, though I resisted the urge to turn around as she came came closer to me simply because I loved looking at the little blonde angels sleeping soundly together side-by-side, and they had their heads turned towards each other.

"Hey" I wrapped my arm around Rosalie's shoulders when she pressed herself into my side insistently.

"Hey yourself" I murmured gently before steering my gaze away from Ashley and Lucas to look at their beautiful mother, who was clad only in a light blue silk robe tied at her waist while her hair was left to frame her face. I frowned gently, something was different about her, I trailed my eyes up and down her body carefully, nothing seemed to be wrong.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Rosalie suddenly whispered.

"What I can't look at the most beautiful woman in the world anymore...sheesh if I knew having kids would do that..." I trailed off with a wide smile when she leaned up and playfully nipped at my neck making me shiver gently.

"I don't have a problem with that but it was like you were assessing me for something" I turned gently and wrapped my arms around her slender waist...wait..._slender._

"Babe you're thin" I suddenly announced.

"Thanks you pointing that out" Rosalie laughed breezily before wrapping her arms around my neck.

"But...but...where the hell is the baby weight?" I asked while she began nuzzling my the base of my neck distractingly.

"Don't know...don't particularly care" Rosalie answered absently while pressing tiny kisses to my neck, I shrugged suddenly before tightening my hold on my mate. It wasn't like there hadn't been weirder changes, suddenly a soft gurgle aught my attention, I looked down towards the crib to find two sets of gorgeous blue eyes staring up at us, Rosalie turned her head as well and pulled away from me so she could look more closely at them, I smiled brightly when a soft purring sound started emitting from her.

"Hello sweetie" Rosalie greeted before reaching into the crib and carefully lifted Lucas into her arms, I smiled gently when she leaned down to nuzzle him lovingly, I moved to stand next to Rosalie before I reached down and slipped my hand behind Ashley's golden head before I slipped my other hand under her, I slowly lifted my baby girl into my arms. I grinned down at her when she tilted her head up at me, she looked as though she were trying to decipher some obscure text, suddenly though she smiled brightly up at me.

"Aww" I murmured helplessly, I froze when she suddenly giggled.

"Did she just...giggle?..." Rosalie suddenly asked, I couldn't bring myself to look away from Ashley so I just nodded "...Is she supposed to do that yet?" I glanced up to my mate and my son, Lucas was playing with a loose strand of Rosalie's silky blonde hair while Rosalie was looking at Ashley with a shocked expression on her face.

"What does it matter?..." I replied "...Come on, lets get them changed so they can meet the rest of the family" I smiled before walking into the connected _En suite,_ I headed over to there was a large jacuzzi in the middle of the room, a massive glass shower cubical to the left and to the right was a mirror that went from wall to wall, beneath that was a counter with a changing mat set up, with a pile of baby grows already neatly folded beside it, probably because of Alice cause I didn't do it and Rosalie had been sleeping up until now. I carefully lowered my precious bundle onto the mat, Ashley used the opportunity to study her surroundings, I smirked when a soft frown suddenly appeared on her face.

"Oh dear what doesn't meet with her highness's approval" I murmured to her, she waved her little fists around and giggled again.

"You like your title then little one?" I smiled, before slowly unbuttoning her light pink baby grow, she stayed perfectly still while I removed her diaper and put on another, it was just a precaution right now because we didn't exactly know how much the twin's would resemble a human child.

"You're gonna help Marcus then" I looked over my shoulder to find Rosalie standing behind me with Lucas' blonde head resting on her silk covered shoulder.

"I never said that...did I princess?" I asked Ashley softly before gently pulling her little arms out of her baby grow.

"I not gonna flip out if you do..." I sighed harshly, why couldn't reality leave me alone with my family for once?.

"Caius and Marcus have both been through a lot because of Aro" I said more to my self than to Rosalie.

"Look screw Caius and Marcus for the minute...do you want to do this or not?" Rosalie asked, I clenched my jaw tightly before looking down into Ashley's eyes, she had decided that sucking her fist while her parent's talked seemed like a good idea, I grinned lovingly, before it dawned on me.

"Aro is never going to leave us alone" I muttered resentfully, and Hell would freeze over before I let him get anywhere near my family.

"Probably not" Rosalie moved to stand just beside me, silently offering support, which I was gonna need to pull this off.

"Mmm...my life used to be so much simpler" I whined softly.

"Hey what about mine?...I was just fine until this curious little human stumbled into my life" I chuckled softly when I felt Rosalie rest her head on my shoulder.

"Oh please woman...you hated me" I sighed softly, before picking a tiny yellow baby grow from the pile and started by slipping Ashley's itty bitty feet into it.

"What do you expect...you turned me into a lesbian" Rosalie accused, I snorted to myself before urging Ashley to stop suckling on her fist so I could dress her.

"Ditto" I grinned before buttoning Ashley's baby grow and lifting my freshly dressed baby into my arms.

"Ha...you couldn't bring yourself to look away from fuckward long enough to notice me" I moved back slightly letting Rosalie set Lucas onto the mat with just as much care as I used with Ashley if not more.

"You think so?" I murmured gently, surprised that Rosalie actually thought that, the truth was that I had been merely infatuated with Edward and even them it had taken, the realisation that Rosalie was with Emmett, the cold glares that Rosalie seemed intent on giving me and extremely low self confidence at the time to convince me that it would been better if I kept my real feelings to myself.

"I don't think so...I know so" Rosalie murmured while reaching for a green baby grow.

"You know for a seventy five plus year old vampire you obviously couldn't see what was in front of you" I drawled before lowering my head to nuzzle Ashley much like a cat would, I smiled lovingly when I heard myself begin to purr happily.

"What are you saying?" Rosalie turned to look closely at me, I rolled my eyes gently, of course Rosalie would want me to spell it out for her.

"Baby all you had to do was click your fingers and I'd have kicked his arrogant ass to the curb in a heartbeat-" I smiled gently when I saw Rosalie tense ever so slightly while buttoning Lucas' baby grow "-You know we wasted over a century because neither of us said anything" I pointed out when Rosalie had lifted Lucas into her arms and turned to face me while leaning back against the marble counter.

"Uch don't remind me-" Rosalie muttered "-Besides now we have all the time in the world to make up for it"

"And we've already made a good start-" I grinned when Ashley started gurgling to herself, as though she wanted to remind us that she was there "-You know...in comparison, he is really quiet" I frowned in concern when I realised that Lucas had resumed tugging on a strand of Rosalie's hair. Rosalie frowned before she looked down at Lucas closely.

"You don't think something is wrong do you?" I could hear panic in my mates voice.

"No...I just think I know who has been using your bladder as a bouncy castle the past couple of days-" I smiled hoping to lighten her erratic mood. Rosalie smiled softly even though I could tell she was still concerned about Lucas "-Besides, they're only a few hours old" I pointed out, even though I had my own concerns about Lucas, I just assumed he'd become more vocal over time.

"Yeah..you're right, hes fine" Rosalie nodded to herself just as Ashley started gurgling louder to herself.

"I think someone is getting a little impatient-" I smiled down at Ashley "-Lets go downstairs" I didn't wait for a response, I just walked out the bathroom with Rosalie close behind me and headed down where I found Heidi and Chelsea talk very quietly in the living room, I ignored the impulse to listen in and find out what they were up to.

"Oh hey Bella" Chelsea greeted in her light accent when she noticed me, Heidi turned around on the couch to face me, a wide smile spread across her face when her eyes landed on Ashley.

"So thats the little, what did Irina call her?, 'blonde gremlin with sneaky little eyes'"

"Hey!" I exclaimed, Heidi grinned widely before she stood up and slowly walked towards me just as Rosalie came to stand beside me in the doorway.

"Aww...they are cute" Heidi acknowledged with a small nod.

"Yes they are...and tell Irina to stop calling my blonde angels gremlins" Rosalie growled.

"Uh how do you suggest I do that exactly?" Heidi arched her eyebrow at Rosalie.

"I'm sure you'll think of something" Rosalie smirked suggestively.

"Mmm I'm sure I'll think of something too" Heidi purred before walking back over to the couch and settling beside Chelsea.

"Do you ever stop thinking about whats between your legs?" Chelsea exclaimed incredulously.

"No I don't" Heidi replied bluntly.

"Why did I even ask?" Chelsea asked herself, I smirked to myself before walking into the room and sitting on the couch opposite Chelsea and Heidi, careful not to disturb Ashley too much, while Rosalie settled down beside me with Lucas cradled against her chest.

"How are you two related again?" I found myself asking when Chelsea and Heidi began discussing Heidi's sex life.

"Shes my great-great-great-great-great-great...ugh the point is Heidi is my grand daughter" Chelsea finally answered with a shrug.

"Why do you ask?" Heidi questioned.

"No particular reason" I dismissed, when Ashley started wiggling in my arms slightly making me tighten my hold on her.

"Uh huh, if you say so" Heidi drawled when Tanya, Irina and Kate suddenly filed into the room still dressed in boi shorts and tank tops.

"Yeah we're giving school a miss today" Tanya stated before dropping into the couch beside me, I frowned slightly, I didn't know what it was but something was definitely wrong with those three.

"I think everyone is today" Rosalie murmured gently, when Kate came around to sir on the armrest of the couch beside my mate while Irina settled beside Heidi.

"Whats wrong?" I asked Tanya gently.

"Nothing you gotta worry about Fae-girl...hows my favourite duo?" Tanya leaned down to get a closer look at Ashley and Lucas, Ashley tilted her head slightly before she raised her hand to stroke the side of Tanya's face gently making the older vampire close her eyes gently.

"Yeah its nothing important...anymore" Kate added.

"You realise I'll beat it out of you eventually" Heidi smirked at Irina.

"Bring it on lover" Irina drawled with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Speaking of which...hows Laurent doing?" Rosalie asked while steadily rocking Lucas from side to side.

"You think I care?" Irina arched an eyebrow at my mate.

"Irina..." Chelsea scolded softly "...Last thing I knew, Eleazar was dragging him into his study"

"Never to be seen again hopefully" Heidi muttered, I smirked in amusement when Chelsea reached out and smacked Heidi upside her head filling the living room with a loud ringing sound.

"Ow...thats abuse grandma" Heidi exclaimed while scowling softly at Chelsea.

"You'll get over it-" Chelsea said dismissively, making everyone laugh softly "-Anyway Eleazar and Laurent have been in there for almost five hours now" Chelsea reported.

"Jeez it doesn't take that long to tell some that they living in a fantasy world" Irina growled softly.

"Show some sympathy will you sis?" Kate murmured gently making Irina roll her eyes gently.

"Irina does have a point though-" I turned to look at Rosalie quickly "-There is nothing worse than watching _your _mate get attention from someone else, particularly an annoying someone" Rosalie's lip curled in disgust, I smiled gently.

"Huh...this coming from the woman who wanted me to 'let him down gently' he must have done something to irritate you to that point" Irina smirked, just as Ashley let loose a sharp cry, my gaze fell on my daughter instinctively, she was pouting to herself while looking up at me with darkening eyes.

"What is it?" Rosalie murmured gently, her face was a mask of motherly concern.

"Dunno but her eyes are changing colour" Ashley was moving her head around to look at everyone with frantic eyes, I pulled her against me tightly though I was careful not to crush her.

"Score..." I spared a look up at a grinning Irina and arched my eyebrow at my sister "...Shes hates Laurent just as much as I do" Irina smirked, I rolled my eyes gently at her though I found myself suppressing a smile.

"Yeah...baby girl gots taste" Heidi drawled in agreement.

"Don't make me hit you again-" Chelsea warned just before she glanced at Ashley with a frown "-You know, shes probably hungry" Chelsea smirked before rising up off the couch gracefully and stalking out the room.

"Wait...where are you going?" Heidi called out to the ancient vampire.

"To find Felix" Chelsea replied.

"Imma go help her" Heidi got to her feet to follow the other vampire out the room.

"Yeah as much as I wanna check you out Rose...Felix is probably feeling really shitty right now" Tanya drawled with a fake leer in Rosalie's direction, I growled at her gently, though I was thankful that Tanya's dark mood had lifted slightly.

"Agreed" Kate was quickly on her feet quickly.

"Hold up...I'm not chasing Felix through the damn forest dressed like this" Irina growled while gesturing to her boi shorts and tank top.

"Oh hell sis...its not like you're gonna get frost bite" Kate tossed over her shoulder before sauntering out the room.

"And you have always been...'perky'" Tanya sniggered to herself before following after Kate.

"Back at you bitch" Irina growled before following, she pulled the door closed behind her with a soft click.

"You have got to love our family" Rosalie chuckled to herself, I turned to look at her and grinned widely.

"Yes you do" I said distractedly, and it was true, we had our moments but in the end we were there for each other and thats all that mattered.

**Demetri's POV.**

I tensed slightly on the tree branch I was perched on when I saw Chelsea exit the large mansion, followed by Heidi and then the Denali sisters. I mentally cursed to myself, how was I going to get close enough to Chelsea and Heidi to convince them to return to Mexico with those three with them. Fuck the fates must truly hate me, first I get stuck with Edward in the first place, now I can't get close enough to my targets to get my job done.

"Okay here is the plan...you distract them all while I grab Bella...we'll be back in Mexico soon after and then you can join us...if you're still alive" I closed my eyes when Edward's annoying voice drifted down to me, he was higher up in the tree but he was still close enough to thoroughly piss me off with just a sentence.

"You can do whatever you want...I'm following Chelsea" I declared softly before dropping to the ground twelve feet below me, I landed silently on my feet, I inhaled deeply, I caught Chelsea's scent heading north at an incredible speed.

"Wait..." I snarled violently when I felt a hand on my shoulder, I reached up quickly and gripped his wrist, I used my superior strength to twist his arm behind his back almost to breaking point before leaning forward to hiss into his ear.

"If you ever touch me again...Aro or no Aro I will personally see to it that Bella gets the chance to tare you to pieces" I growled deep in my chest before pushing him away from me, he stumbled forward and leaned against a tree while glancing at me warily.

"I let you do that-" I laughed humourlessly before I too a step in Chelsea's direction "-You do realise that even if you get Chelsea that Aro is just going to order you to come back up here...to help _me _with _my _Bella" I stopped suddenly, Aro had shown a particular interest in the fae, but I wasn't strong enough to take on one fae let alone two, I sighed to myself, the least I could do was check the situation with the fae and her mate, who knew if I couldn't get Chelsea to rejoin the Volturi then maybe information on the fae would save my hide. I turned to look at him, he was rubbing his wrist and smirking at me.

"I can't wait to see her cook you over a spit fire" I snarled before heading towards the house, I kept my footsteps light, so light that no vampire would be able to hear me but that still left my greatest threat.

"Please the first thing I'm going to do with Bella when she realises that we are meant to be is make up for lost time...know what I mean?" I rolled my eyes gently, all I could see was Bella castrating him with a dull knife while Rosalie looked on with a sadistic smirk on her face. Pointedly blocked out the 'I'm so great' babble coming from Edward, while I walked around the edge of the mansion, looking for any ground floor windows I could possibly get a glimpse of the fae through, cause I didn't really want to have to scale the side of the house and leave behind any impressions that could easily be tracked back to me. I was fortunate enough that, towards the rear of the house I found one looking into a study, I ducked down beneath the window and risked a look inside, I found Eleazar sitting at an old desk while calmly explaining something to an unfamiliar vampire, who was pacing the length the of Eleazar's study at a brisk pace.

"What do you see?" I turned my dark gaze on Edward when he whispered loudly, for God sake did he want to get us both killed by giving away our position. I forced myself to look back into the study, I released a sigh of relief when I found the other two vampires still in conversation, this time I titled my head to the side and listened in carefully.

"Laurent you have to calm down" Eleazar was saying soothingly.

"No I will not calm done on any circumstances...Irina is my mate not that god-damn _man_!" Laurent snarled back.

"How many times do I have to tell you...Irina is mated to Heidi and no matter how many times you say it she will never be yours" I had never heard Eleazar so _irritated_, he was normally so compassionate.

"No how many times do _I _have to tell _you!..._I'm not gay! I refuse to accept this"

"Oh I fucking give up...when you're ready to accept the truth come and find me until then I suggest you stay away from all of us" Eleazar growled before standing up and walking out the study quickly, I waited for a few minutes before sighing gently, they hadn't mentioned anything about the fae which meant I had to keep looking.

"Yet anther woman fails to see who she belongs to" Edward muttered beside me, I turned suddenly.

"Would you shut the fuck up you sexist son of a bitch...lets get one thing straight, Bella doesn't belong to you, she doesn't even like you so hurry up and get the fuck over yourself before I go insane!-" I winced the moment I realised that I just gave a way our position "-Fuck" I muttered when I heard the window being pushed open, I looked up to find Laurent looking down at us with a soft smirk on his face.

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't yell for Bella" Laurent murmured quietly.

"Because it would make you look like a total fucking wuss who can't fight his way out of a paper bag" I snarled.

"Not to mention that we can make Irina see who her true mate is" Edward butted in like the sleaze ball he was.

"I'm listening" Laurent drawled, I growled low in my throat, right before a loud cry echoed through the house, my jaw clenched when I realised that it was the unmistakable cry of a newborn baby.

"What the hell..."

"Rosalie's little brat...now come on, how can you make Irina see me for what I am"

"I'm sure she already does" I sneered.

"What do you mean...Rosalie can't have children" Edward snapped.

"Thanks to Bella she can" Laurent murmured, I felt like my jaw had just hit the floor, the fae had children, fuck I was getting in way over my head.

"No...I forbid it, shes my mate,_ mine" _I rolled my eyes gently, I couldn't help it, here I was stuck in the middle of obsessive idiots.

"My thoughts exactly" Laurent murmured gently.

"Finally someone understands me" Edward puffed his chest out a little.

"You know what...I'm getting out of here before you start plotting world domination" I growled before striding purposely away from them, I should've just followed Chelsea in the first place.

**Bella's POV.**

"That felt really...dodgy" I laughed to myself when Rosalie pulled her robe closed, I was leaning back against the armrest with my legs bent at the knee, from this position it was relatively easy for my to hold both twins without having to worry about dropping them.

"You never complain when I do it" I purred huskily.

"Okay its so totally not the same" I shrugged slightly before glancing down at Ashley and Lucas, they were both looking around the room curiously.

"You think they'd take formula?" I found myself wondering aloud.

"No idea...we could try though" Rosalie replied gently just as Eleazar burst into the room, he pulled up short when he found me with the twins supported in my lap.

"Hey" I greeted lamely.

"Evening" Eleazar returned, his eyes were still firmly on the twins.

"We were just wondering if they'd drink formula" Rosalie drawled, Eleazar titled his head gently.

"Its entirely possible...after all Bella passed as a human once" Eleazar concluded.

"You wanna hold one of them?" I offered gently, trying my hardest to ignore the way Rosalie tensed slightly beside me, I didn't particularly want to relinquish my hold on the twins but Eleazar was looking at them with such devotion in his golden eyes.

"Um no...I don't..."

"We're not gonna bite ya" Rosalie finally urged.

"They might though" I smirked, I looked down at the twins to find them looking up at Eleazar and if I didn't know any better I'd swear they were measuring how much they could swindle out of him.

"Well in that case..." I stayed perfectly still as Eleazar lifted Lucas into his arms with natural ease, while I turned Ashley in my arms so Lucas was never out of her sight, earlier when Rosalie had taken Lucas so she could feed him, Ashley had cried, and I was willing to bet a small fortune it was because she couldn't see him...well that and when I moved her so he was back in her line of sight she'd calmed down instantly. And as if to prove my point Ashley was quite happy for Eleazar to be holding Lucas so long as she could see him.

"Well you certainly have your mother's looks don't ya?" Eleazar crooned gently.

"Yeah which one of us are ya talking about?" I drawled while Rosalie moved closer to me and Ashley.

"Well actually to be fair I can see both of you in him and Ashley" Eleazar murmured, his eyes didn't once leave Lucas, suddenly Ashley started whimpering to herself, I winced at the miserable sound falling from her lips.

"Here you take her" Rosalie held her arms out while carefully shifted so Ashley was in Rosalie's arms, I watched with a soft frown as Ashley just became even more upset.

"Crap what do we do?-" Rosalie growled, panic was clear in her voice "-Dammit why isn't there a book on this?"

"Someone doesn't sound happy" I turned to find Laurent standing in the hall, I felt an instinctive hiss bubbling in my throat, I couldn't quite name it but something was defiantly up with the Frenchman.

"Bella perhaps now is the chance to try out your theory about the formula?-" Eleazar suggested, I nodded gently, but I still couldn't make myself move away from my children or my mate, not while Laurent was looking at them with nothing but cold interest shining outwards. I looked outward my mate, soft sounds of distress were falling from her lips while Ashley continued to wail unhappily "-And maybe you should take Rose and Ashley"

"But..."

"Bella there is nothing to worry about...I'll take care of Lucas, besides Laurent is here" _Laurent is my fucking problem _ I shook my head slightly, Laurent was part of the family, I didn't have anything to worry about.

"Alright..." I stood up slowly, keeping my eye trained on Laurent, I looked towards Rosalie who was now nuzzling the top of Ashley's head soothingly and it must have been working cause Ashley's loud cries had gifted into soft hiccups "...Come on baby" Rosalie stood up slowly with Ashley cradled against her chest, I waited for her to move out the room all the while keeping my attention on Laurent, there was something about the way he was looking at Eleazar that made the hair on the back of my neck stand on edge, I mentally shook myself, Lucas would be fine with Eleazar. I reluctantly followed Rosalie out the room, only to hear Ashley sobbing again, I scowled to myself before walking into the kitchen, Rosalie was rocking Ashley gently from side to side.

"Whats wrong with her?" Rosalie asked gently, I could hear how upset she was becoming, but what the hell could I do, I knew next to nothing about babies and right now I was moving on instinct, which was proving useless because all I could think about was getting back to Lucas.

"Shes probably just just seeing how loud she can cry" I shrugged before heading towards the sink, Maria had said she'd bought everything that a baby would need, and true enough, I found a steriliser in the cupboard beneath the sink along with several bottles, huh how difficult was this gonna turn out to be.

"Maybe..." I pulled everything out of the cupboard and set it on the counter, before reaching up into a side cupboard to find the formula, all the while Ashley continued to cry unhappily. I turned around to lean against the counter, Rosalie looked so confused right now that it was tugging at my heart.

"Babies are meant to cry alot...its how they communicate" I pointed out.

"But what is she trying to say?" Rosalie looked up at me, I mentally winced when I saw that her eyes were black with misery. I opened my mouth to answer when a loud thud caught my attention, I growled to myself, before hurring out the kitchen at a brisk pace. I felt like there was a heavy weight in my stomach as I gripped the door handle going into the living room, I took a deep, steadying breath before pushing the door open, what I found had me snarling violently, Eleazar was on the floor, clearly unconscious. Dread built inside me until I felt like I was being choked by it. _Where was Lucas?._

**AN: Okay I know I said fuckward was gonna get it this chapter but...I figured this way its a little more dramatic, but next chapter he is definitely gonna get the cut in the most painful way I think of, though if you guys have anything you wanna see just let me know. Anyways I would love to hear your thoughts on this chapter, particularly how I did on making you guys hate Laurent. Until next time. **


	29. Chapter 29

Title: Coming Home

Pairing(s): Bella/Rosalie, Leah/Alice, Victoria/Esme, Tanya/Jasper, Emmett/Kate, Alec/Seth, Jane/Jacob.

Rating: M.

Disclaimer: Nothing is mine it all belongs to Stephanie Meyer.

Summary: The Cullens left in new moon, Victoria changed Bella, together along with Seth, Jacob and Leah they've lived in Forks for over a century, what happens when the Cullens come back?.

**AN: I'm back, at last, sorry its been ages but as usual my dearest teachers decided that we need to write hundreds of essays on meaningless crap!. Anyway in this chapter you have brotherly bonding between Jasper and Emmett, Victoria and Esme cut their vacation short, Elena and Akasha come back into things, sisterly bonding between Tanya, Irina and Kate, Chelsea comes to realise that shes gonna have to be really subtle when it comes to Maria and (pause for effect) Fuckward is getting the shaft! *happy face*. Okay then I hope everyone enjoys and again sorry about the wait. **

**Chapter Twenty nine, Esme's POV.**

"What part about 'learn to play with others' do these kids not understand?" I sniggered into my pillow while Victoria reached across to grab her phone off the small table beside her side of our bed. For the past few days all we'd done was lounge around in bed and just talk, and I felt so much better about myself now that I'd told her everything about me and vice versa, she'd even told me about James, which I could tell hadn't been easy, but the look of pure contentment on her face afterwards had been nothing short of mesmerizing. Apparently Victoria and James had been childhood friends, and when Victoria had turned nineteen, her parents had arranged for her to marry James' brother Henry, as James' family had been the most influential in the modestly sized town they'd lived in at the time, only one night when the three were out in the near by forest next to a small lake, Laurent had appeared, he'd killed Henry and turned James and Victoria. I could still recall the amount of confusion in her voice when she'd described that part, apparently Laurent had never told Victoria why he'd killed Henry, just that it was necessary. I had my own assumptions about it but I didn't particularly want to dredge up either of our past lives, not when we had a new one together.

"Hello" I was brought out of my thoughts by Victoria's overly sweet voice drifting towards me, I smiled gently, and turned my head to look up at my mate, the sight was enough to make breathing difficult, I nearly snorted to myself, but it was true, Victoria's long auburn hair was left to hang loosely around her shoulders, her eyes were shining brightly, and she had a lazy half smile gracing her full lips which reminded me of a large cat. I sighed gently when I caught the sound of Eleazar's voice on the other line, no doubt something important had come up back home, and while I felt the undeniable urge to get back to my children so I could comfort them, I couldn't help but let my eyes trail around the room that Victoria had ultimately erased everything Carlisle did to me in, I didn't feel as disgusted with myself as I had done before we came here, and if anything, I felt closer to Victoria for it, if it hadn't been for my mate, then I no doubt would be still warped with the horrible 'what if's' that had been plaguing me ever since Carlisle raped me, but it didn't anymore, and it was such a relief.

"WHAT!-" I winced at the mixture of confusion, worry and rage I could hear vibrating in Victoria's voice, I sat up quickly and looked at Victoria, her eyes had turned black, and for some reason they had blood red rims around them, I frowned gently, I knew that Victoria hadn't fed off a human, but what else could have caused it "-So where is she now?-" I reached out slowly and cupped the side of Victoria's face when she started growling deep in her chest, she calmed down marginally, but still the entire room was filled with the low enraged growls rumbling from her chest "-We're leaving right now" I was out of bed and rushing around the room before she even finished her sentence, I grabbed the two suitcases that Victoria had shoved under the queen sized bed days before and left then opened on the bedroom floor, thankfully she hadn't unpacked much, so all I had to do was rush into the bathroom and grab whatever clothes we'd discarded, I impulsively folded them and hurried back out into the bedroom, Victoria was rummaging through the small table beside the bed in the top drawer.

"Baby where are the car keys?" I pursed my lips while placing the folded clothes I was carrying into our suitcases, before I zipped them closed quickly.

"I'm pretty sure they're on the coffee table downstairs" I could faintly recall her tossing them onto the glass table two days ago.

"Alright lets go" I smiled when Victoria leaned down grabbed both suitcases and walked swiftly out the room.

"Such a gentlemen..." I teased as I got to my feet and rushed after her out into the hallway.

"You won't be saying that when I get my hands on that spineless, dickless little bastard you call...an ex-son?" I smirked at the slight question, before what she said really sank in.

"Baby you wanna tell me whats going on?" I asked as we made our way downstairs, she was a few steps in front of me.

"I will when we're in the car...will you grab the keys for me?" I nodded gently, when we got to the bottom of the stairs.

"Meet you out in the car" I said gently, while making my way over to the glass coffee table, I picked the keys up and glanced around the cabin, just making sure hat everything was locked up tight cause if anything happened to this place Rosalie might actually kill me. I walked over towards the kitchen and trailed my eyes over the windows and the back-door, no harm in being thorough, once I was satisfied that no overly curious humans were going to be able to get in, I walked back towards he front door that Victoria had left open, I drew up short at the doorway, it was snowing softly, the little white flakes were slowly covering the floor.

"Baby you ready to go?" Victoria was cover near the detached garage about five metres away from the cabin putting the suitcases into the trunk of our SUV.

"Yeah..." I murmured distantly, I loved the snow it reminded me of my childhood, I used spend hours playing out in the snow, then my mother would call me in when it started getting dark then I'd curl up in my father's arm chair next to the open fire and wait for him to come home from work, but then I grew up and I met Eric, then everything went down hill.

"Babe! Will move your butt please?" I rolled my eyes gently at the impatience in my mate's voice.

"Patience is a virtue you know" I muttered as I walked across the wood chips covering the floor towards the white SUV with tinted windows, although I didn't really see the point with tinting our windows anymore seeing as the sun has apparently decided to abandon us.

"Good thing I'm not bloody virtuous then isn't it?" I tilted my head as I walked around to the passenger side, Victoria's accent only came through when she was getting seriously agitated or if she was dealing with a lot of emotion, I placed my hand on the handle and pulled the door open, I mentally cursed my petite frame when I had to literally hop into the seat. I pulled the door closed with a muted thud when Victoria pulled open the door on the driver's side, I kept quiet while she slipped the keys into the ignition, the SUV came to life with a soft purr.

"Are you going to tell me whats going on now?-" I murmured gently, Victoria's response was to growl once again and put the car into reverse "-Obviously not" I answered my own question, while Victoria focused on not wrapping the car around a tree as she drove down the long dirt road leading to the cabin. Whatever had happened it couldn't really be that bad, could it?.

"Rose had the babies" My eyes widened in surprise, before a slow smile spread across my face, finally my daughter had the one thing she'd always wanted, I couldn't wait to see my grandbabies.

"And that calls for your erratic driving?-" I exclaimed, surely Victoria should be happy that Bella was finally a mom, but if I didn't know any better I'd say something had gone seriously wrong "-Wait a second-" '_You won't be saying that when I get my hands on that spineless, dickless little bastard you call...an ex-son?' _"-How does Edward come into this?" I murmured remembering what she'd said back in the cabin, suddenly the car exterior seemed to shrink, I looked even more closely at my mate, her lithe body was corded with tension and her hands were gripping the steering wheel so hard I could actually hear it creaking in protest.

"That little bastard has kidnapped one of the twins!...and so has...L-Laurent-" I turned in my seat slowly and reached over to rest my hand on my mate's denim covered thigh comfortingly "-Fuck! I never should've trusted him around any of you"

"Its not your fault" I spoke soothingly, I couldn't imagine what she was feeling right now but I was willing to bet that it wasn't pleasant.

"Esme I'm the one who brought him into our fucking house...If I hadn't then..."

"Hes your maker...its only natural to trust the one who turned you" I squeezed her thigh when she sighed raggedly.

"Yeah and now hes got our daughter's son..." I looked out the windscreen when she suddenly snarled, there was a long line of cars slowly piling up, I could already tell that this was going to take a long time "...Get out the way you fucking blood clots!" I snorted in amusement, my baby had road rage, who knew?.

**Elena's POV.**

I glanced up when I heard an animistic roar in the distance, I didn't have think to know that it belonged to my daughter, my primal side already knew. I dropped the book I'd been reading onto my desk in my study and stood up, I hurried over to the large window that overlook a forest, I rested my forehead against the think glass panes and tired to stop the thoughts rolling around in my head, I could normally count on my more than impressive self-control to stop myself from rushing to my daughter whenever I could _hear_ that she was in pain, but my maternal instinct was an undeniable force this time, my entire body was literally twitching with the need to get to my young.

"Elena..." I jumped slightly when Akasha suddenly appeared behind me without warning, a fae's body simply couldn't register it's mate as a threat meaning that unless Akasha cleared her throat or something I never knew she was there .

"Something is really wrong this time" I knew it, deep in the core of my being, I knew my young needed me. I tilted my head up gently when I felt my mate's arms encircle my waist comfortingly, Akasha beautiful face would seem like an impassive mask to anyone but me, I could see the motherly concern shining in her darkened eyes as she stared out at the forest, after Bella had moved up to Alaska we'd bought a small house in Forks, we were never far from her, we never had been, all her life we'd been mere streets away from her, it had been excruciatingly painful to watch another woman raise my child, to teach her simple things like learning how to read, or listening as the human female comforted my baby after she had a nightmare, or just talking to her about school or things that were bothering her. I couldn't count the amount of times that I wanted to just sneak into the tiny house in Phoenix so I could take my baby back, but the knowledge that I would be endangering her had always quelled the urge.

"I know" Akasha murmured distantly, her eyes were becoming impossibly darker with each passing second.

"Then lets go to her" I turned in her arms to look up at her, I pleaded with my eyes, I knew that Akasha cared about our daughter just as much as I did, but the threat towards her was at the top of my mate's priorities.

"And lead the _Sicarii _to her?...I doubt she would thank us for that" Akasha titled her head to look down at me, I clenched my jaw tightly at the reminder, the S_icarii_were the assassins Caius had employed to hunt down the remaining fae, they were extremely effective at what they did and once they took on a job they never stopped, never, which was why we had to be careful when moved around or else they'd pick up our scent and while our combined strength was immense, the _Sicarii_were bred to kill, they didn't know how to do anything else.

"So we stay away?" I whispered gently, my eyes were burning with unshed tears.

"She has children of her own to look after, besides she doesn't have any training to fight the_Sicarii" _Akasha raised her and cupped the side of my face, I leaned into her warm touch instantly.

"How is she going to learn unless you teach her?" I had to swallow several times before murmuring.

"She won't have to if we stay away-" Akasha pointed out regretfully, I winced when I heard yet another heart broken roar out in the distance "-This way we keep them away from her" I nodded my head gently, of course I knew that Akasha just wanted to keep Bella safe and happy, but the separation was killing me but though my mate wouldn't admit it, she wanted to be in Bella's life just as much as I did.

"You're right...its just...I miss her" I hated the whimper that left my lips, but I couldn't silence it, I wanted, no, I _needed _to near my young, the child I hadn't held for more than a century.

"I do too" I buried my face in Akasha's neck taking comfort from her familiar scent of freesia and jasmine, I closed my eyes tightly as her arms tightened around me protectively.

**Tanya's POV.**

"Here kitty, kitty, kitty!" I called out for the umpteenth time, we'd been searching for Felix for over an hour now and still no luck.

"Yeah I don't think thats working sis" Irina drawled from behind me, I looked over my shoulder and scowled, before an idea suddenly struck me.

"I get you..." I cleared my throat "...Come out wherever you are...I got treats!" Kate sniggered into her closed fist.

"Tan!...the cat jokes aren't working!" Irina growled though I could hear the smile in her voice.

"Yeah whatever just lemme try one more time..." I called back to her "...Here Felix, come on boy, we got cat nip!-" I grinned when Kate, Chelsea and Maria burst out laughing as we walked through the forest "-See I knew we should've brought an old lady with us"

"Tanya don't be so stereotypical" Carmen scolded.

"C'mon I was joking...you all know that right?" I stopped and looked back at my sisters, Kate and Irina were grinning to themselves while Chelsea and Maria were shaking their heads gently, I dimly noticed that they kept stealing looks at each other, did they really think they were being subtle, I snorted to myself, those kids didn't know the meaning of the word.

"Thats not the point" Carmen scowled.

"Fine I'm sorry...I'll even put an ad in the paper does that make you happy?" I drawled sarcastically.

"Yes" Carmen smiled sweetly at me before she picked up her pace and walked ahead of me.

"Shes not being serious..." I chuckled to myself "...Is she?" I stopped chuckling and looked back at my sisters.

"You never know with mummy Carmen" Irina smirked helplessly as she crossed her arms over her breasts.

"Yeah the 'rents really are hard to read" Kate grinned in agreement mirroring Irina's pose.

"You're no help" I scowled before trudging through the think snow covering the ground and the trees, the sounds of crunching snow followed me, signalling that my sisters were right behind me.

"Aww...at least you've still got your sense of humour" Irina drawled.

"Well I'm never gonna loose that..." I returned "...Hey where is Heidi?...I could have sworn she was right behind us"

"Don't be worrying about _my _mate..." Irina scowled at me, I poked my tongue out at her playfully making her scowl deepen.

"You two are ridiculous..." Kate announced, shaking her head.

"So what does that make you?" I returned teasingly making her smile helplessly.

"The sane one" Kate shrugged.

"Oooh check this one out Ri" I looked towards the other blonde who was grinning slyly at Kate.

"Yeah it sounds like shes trying to say we're insane" Irina mused taking a step towards Kate, while I did the same.

"Now thats not nice" I pointed out as I drew closer to her.

"Yeah you really hurt our feelings sis" Irina painted a look of hurt onto her face when we were standing mere inches away from our youngest sister.

"Oops" Kate murmured with a playful smile.

"'Oops' thats all we get...yeah I'm really feeling the love" I drawled sarcastically.

"Mmm maybe we should teach this one a lesson...what do you say Tan..." Irina grinned at me.

"Well seeing as mummy Carmen isn't around...looks like its up to us to make sure this one learns her manners" I tensed to pounce on Kate when suddenly a loud roar echoed through the forest, it was so loud that I actually though my ears were going to start bleeding.

"_Dio_what the hell was that?" Maria winced.

"Guess Felix really didn't like the cat jokes" I tried making light of the situation, but I really had a bad feeling about this, that sound had been filled with misery, rage and more importantly I was pretty sure it didn't belong to any kind of animal found in the forest.

"I'm touched you think I can roar that loud" I whirled around to find Felix and Carmen coming towards us, they both wore concerned expressions as they looked in the direction of our mansion.

"Fuck what the hell is going on?" Heidi asked jogging toward us, I dimly noted that her once ruby red eyes were now glowing a familiar golden colour.

"It must be the twins..." It was the only thing I could think of that would cause either Bella or Rose to become _that _upset "...We better get back" I flinched when I heard yet another roar, only this time it was definitely closer.

"I agree...but if something is wrong with the twins we should all give Bella and Rose some space..." Chelsea murmured in her light accent, she turned around and took off at a light run, I scowled at her retreating back before tensing and running after her, the sounds of crunching snow resounding through the forest as we all started running back towards the mansion.

"Whys that?" I asked when I managed to catch up with the smaller blonde.

"Like I keep saying...fae are unpredictable at best...now that Bella and Rosalie have young to protect...they will be even more dangerous" Chelsea announced, I nodded to myself as we ran, I could still feel Bella's hand wrapped around my throat when I tried to help Rose.

"What are the chances that one of them has lost control?" I ignored the instinctive fear rising in my chest when another, far more violent roar echoed through the forest, it was definitely getting louder...and closer.

"Judging from that?...I'd say pretty damn good" Chelsea muttered quietly.

**Emmett's POV.**

"Why did I let you drag me into this?...yet again" I sighed harshly, after we dragged Laurent into Eleazar's office Jasper had asked me to drive us into town so he could 'pick up a little something', yeah, a little something that came in the form of an engagement ring. I was stood by a clear glass counter housing numerous rings, earrings, necklaces, bracelets and watches, while Jasper kept pacing between the seven similar display cases spread across the shop.

"Cause you like shiny things?" Jasper drawled sarcastically, I narrowed my eyes on my brother still nervously glancing around, I leaned back against the case behind me, though I was careful not to break the damn thing.

"Ha ha ha funny..." I replied dryly "...Least I know what Kate likes in the jewellery department" Well actually I didn't but I had an idea, and I knew what looked good on her, so I was thinking a long thin silver necklace with a small sapphire attached, it wasn't too flashy but it would complement the slender column of my mate's neck, I pursed my lips gently, maybe I should find some earrings to go with it and maybe a bracelet or was that a little over the top...dammit why was shopping so damn hard?.

"I know what _I _think she'd like but what if she doesn't?" Jasper mused in his southern drawl, I chuckled to myself.

"Why don't you ask her?" I murmured tilting my head toward the young woman standing at the cash register, looking extremely board, but then again the shop was more or less empty other than a few humans glancing around curiously.

"Cause shes not Tanya" Jasper raised his hand and pinched the bridge of his nose, I smirked to myself, it was such a human gesture, did he really find shopping that stressful, I mean I knew it took me over an hour to find the necklace I thought Kate would like but still, I'd been standing in the same spot for damn near two hours.

"Bro come on its easy, you buy a ring, get Alice or Rose's opinion on it, if they think its crap you bring it back and get another" I shrugged and crossed my arms over my chest.

"Em I'm supposed to be the one who knows what Tanya would like" Jasper sighed and came over to stand beside me.

"You aren't just doing this to get back in her good books are ya?" I turned my head to look down at the shorter vampire.

"Course not, I love her and I want to marry her thats all there is to it" Jasper looked up at me, I nodded when I saw the challenge in his eyes.

"Yeah but we all love our mates...and in a couple of years when all this bullshit has calmed down, I can see us all getting married, even Jane and Jake..." I added when he rolled his eyes.

"So you think I should wait" Jasper asked quietly.

"Now I didn't say that...'sides its your decision" I pointed out.

"...I feel like shes hidin' somethin' from me" Jasper said gently, I could hear the confusion in his voice, I understood that, there were still things that Kate hadn't told me, but I trusted that she'd tell me when she was ready, obviously Jasper didn't feel like waiting.

"Come on man...what could she possibly be hiding thats got you wanting to tie the knot this quickly huh?" I murmured.

"Well you know what shes like" My eyes widened in surprise, could Jasper actually be insinuating that Tanya was having an...affair, I snorted in amusement, it wasn't actually possible for soul mates to even contemplate being with someone else, there was the occasional couple that invited 'thirds' into their relationship, but it was extremely rare and the two would have been together for like thousands of years, and at the end of the day they never developed any kind of feelings for the third other than some sort of tolerance.

"Jazz listen closely..." I turned so my upper thigh was resting against the counter and I was facing my brother "...Yes Tanya flirts with some peo...well she flirts with everyone but the point is she loves you"

"So why won't she talk to me?" Jasper whispered in a defeated voice.

"Maybe its too painful...or maybe she doesn't think its that important...I don't know, I'm not a chick"

"You tryin' to imply somethin' there Em?" Jasper looked up at me and smirked.

"Well you know what I mean, women are always 'encouraging' us to be more open...Christ the only people who out-do them are fucking therapists and they're even worse because you have to pay 'em" I complained.

"Very true" Jasper agreed nodding his head softly.

"Ain't it though..." I muttered "...Now lets find a ring shall we?" I smirked down at him.

"Okay I've more or less narrowed it down to the whole damn shop"

"Thats helpful" I scowled at him, it was gonna be a long, _long_ day.

**Victoria's POV. **

"I'm telling you, they shouldn't be given licenses" I growled pulling up outside the mansion after being on the road for nearly three hours, I could've made it shorter, but it would've probably turned into a demolition derby.

"V they need to get around just like everyone else" Esme murmured from the passenger seat.

"Everyone else doesn't drive at two miles an hour" I growled again reaching for the door handle.

"V leave the little old ladies alone" Esme said I looked across to find her struggling to keep herself from sniggering.

"I'll leave them alone when they stop getting in my way" I muttered, grinning at the soft snort Esme made, I sobered when I remembered exactly _why _we were back, I quickly pushed the car door open and climbed out the car in the same instant Esme did, we both pushed the car doors closed and turned to face the mansion. I was really not liking the silence that greeted me from the tall marble structure, I would've preferred it if we'd got back to the sounds of smashing ornaments, at least then I'd know that everyone was alive.

"I gotta bad feeling about this" I muttered and slowly started trudging through the snow that had built up, it was at least five inches, I silently sent a thankful prayer to whatever deity listened to vampires for the new and improved all-terrain SUVs, though I probably owed a human with a little too much free time on their hands for it. I pointedly stayed in front of Esme as we climbed the stairs leading up to the door, there were foot prints leading down them, as we got closer to the front door, it looked a little odd, like the angle had been altered in someway, I was stunned to find that in actuality the solid oak door had been torn off its hinges and was now resting uselessly against the decimated door frame.

"Eleazar?..." I called out to the slightly younger vampire, I scowled when there was no answer, I leaned down gently and gripped the three inch thick door and pulled it away from the door frame, I was guessing Eleazar had put it there to add some sense of normalcy, I nearly snorted, there was nothing normal about any of this, I left the door flat on the floor because I really didn't have a clue what to do with the damn thing "...Come on" I reached out and took Esme's hand in my own, before leading her into the deathly quiet mansion. I winced when I suddenly heard a loud snarl from the living room, I ignored the shiver of instinctive fear that slithered up and down my spine, but it literally felt like I was venturing into a lion's den knowing full well what lay inside. Our foot falls echoed loudly through the house as we approached the living room, I stopped just before we got to the door and turned to look at Esme, I didn't know what kind of mental state they were in and I was _not _endangering my mate for anything, I gave Esme a look that clearly read; 'stay here', she scowled up at me but otherwise didn't argue which I was thankful for. I squeezed her hand gently, before I released my hold and risked a look inside the living room, it had been destroyed, the furniture was utterly shredded and scattered around the room, glass littered the ground from the...window, the drapes were shredded but still hung loosely, providing some coverage. I mentally growled at myself as I cautiously walked into the room, I couldn't hear anything, but I knew I was not alone in here, suddenly the unmistakable cry of a newborn baby echoed through the room scaring the bejesus out of me, finally I spotted the blonde head of Rosalie sat at the centre of the carnage, she was shielded from my view by an over turned couch. I stepped closer to my daughter as the babies cries continued, I stopped two feet away from Rosalie, I didn't want to trigger her protective instincts right now, unless I wanted to end up like the damn furniture.

"...Rose?..." I had to clear my throat several times before I could even form her name, her head shot up so she could face me, I backed away like my ass was on fire, her eyes were completely jet black and a violent snarl suddenly resounded through the room "...Its okay honey" I crooned gently, hoping that even in this state she still felt connected to me, but from the pain filled growls rumbling from her chest I was pretty sure she was all animal right now, understandably so. She stared at me for long tension filled minutes, before her head dropped and a loud longing mewl filled the room, I'm pretty sure my heart just broke, I could count the times that I had been privy to _that _kind of misery on one hand, I slowly walked closer to her again, her whimpers grew louder and louder as I climbed over to the destroyed furniture. I froze when I noticed that her legs were crossed and in her lap, cradled in her arms was a beautiful baby with blonde hair. She looked up as I came closer, I knelt down beside her careful not to move too fast, she shifted slightly so the young in her arms was partly shielded from my gaze but she didn't move away. I stayed perfectly still for long minutes, I didn't have to even look at the child to know that he or she was unharmed, Rosalie would never harm her own child even in a rage like this. It was at least half an hour before Rosalie glanced at me with trust in her eyes, I nodded gently before I moved closer to her, I wrapped my arms around her shoulders as her entire body started shaking with soundless sobs, my own eyes started burning with unshed tears as I held her close, I would kill Laurent for this if Bella hadn't already, I was certain that the foot steps leading away from the mansion belonged to my daughter.

"Rose sweetie...I'm gonna bring Esme in...is that okay?" I looked down slightly though Rosalie's attention remained firmly on the child in her arms. I released a breath I wasn't aware of holding when she nodded against me. I released my hold on Rosalie and rushed back out the room, Esme was leaning back against the wall, her normally golden eyes were coal black no doubt because she'd heard Rosalie crying.

"You should find Bella" Esme murmured as she came closer to me, I nodded in agreement but I was loath to Rosalie and Esme and Eleazar...wherever he may be.

"If I know Bella, which I do, shes probably already caught those little bastards" I pointed out softly, I reached out and pulled Esme against me, it was times like this you really began to realise how much you loved your family.

"But they've got her baby" Esme reminded me while wrapping her arms around my waist, I leaned down slightly and inhaled Esme's sweet scent of vanilla.

"Right...I should get going if I'm gonna catch up with her..." I brought my hand, which had been resting on her lower back around so I could gently coax her to look up at me, I smiled lovingly before I leaned down and brushed my lips across hers, it was the first time I'd tried since Carlisle had attacked her, I could've cried in sheer joy when she kissed me back gently, I could've stayed like that for eternity, but I had to find Bella "...We'll be back soon" I promised, reluctantly letting go of her.

"Don't be too long, will you?" I blinked dumbly at the deadly undertone I could detected in her voice, she smiled sweetly up at me before she turned around and walked into what used to be our living room.

"What a woman" I purred with a sadistic grin, before I turned on my heel and stalked out of the house.

**Jasper's POV.**

"I'm telling you I just heard a motherfucking lion" I rolled my eyes gently.

"Maybe a mountain lion" I agreed, we were in Emmett's new hummer which he'd bought from the car dealership in town, the bulky car was a deep red with black tinted windows. Thanks to Emmett's driving we were an hour away from the mansion, on either side of the side road that lead to our mansion was the dense forest we usually hunted in.

"No an actual lion" Emmett insisted while glancing carefully out the wind shield.

"Don't be ridiculous why would a li-" I was silenced by the loud resounding roar that had interrupted me just minutes before, I glanced out the passenger side window impulsively, I had to admit, whatever it was, it sounded a lot bigger than a freakin' lion, maybe a bear or a damn pack of 'em, except they were hibernatin', so what the fuck was it.

"See what did I tell you?" Emmett glanced at me with a smug smile.

"I don't know what it is but it ain't a damned lion" I replied.

"Wanna bet on that?" Emmett murmured, I turned and smirked confidently, when was Emmett gonna learn not to bet against me.

"Bring it bro" I drawled in my southern twang.

"Right if I win...you have to put off proposing to Tanya" Under any other circumstance I would've laughed and punched him for good measure but I already knew I wasn't gonna lose so I guess there was no harm in agreeing.

"And if I win you have to go a year without playin' on the X-box..." I winked playfully when he looked at me like a kid whose just learned his puppy had gone missing "...C'mon I thought you were sure about it bein' 'Motherfuckin' lion'" I teased.

"That just doesn't seem fair" Emmett whined as he continued driving blindly.

"I just agreed that I'd put off proposin' to the love of my life whereas you just gotta stay away from the new Call of duty for a year...yeah it ain't fair...for me" I added when I saw him frown.

"Alright you're on" Emmett extended one of his hands across the car interior toward me, I smirked and enclosed his in mine, this was gonna be fun, but of course if Emmett started goin' into withdrawal, which he probably would in about four days, I'd happily call it a day.

"Pull over then" I urged, when I spotted the dirt road that lead to our mansion, Emmett turned onto the dirt road and parked it just out of sight from the main road, so no overly curious humans would spot it. I pushed the car door open and climbed out of the hummer, my boots sank into the snow covered ground with a sound crunch, the sun was beginning to set casting fiery shadows around the dense snow covered forestry, I inhaled deeply, catching a mixture of scents I broke down into the vegetation, a few small animals currying around and...something different, like freesia and jasmine except there wasn't a chance that either flower could actually survive the harsh winter that had set in which could only mean one thing.

"Em check your phone will ya?" I called over to my brother while pulling my own out of the front pocket of my jeans, I hissed gently when I realised that it was dead, fuck why hadn't I noticed that sooner.

"Shit its dead!" Emmett exclaimed in annoyance, I slipped my now-useless phone back into my pocket.

"That wasn't a damn lion...it was Bella" I rolled my eyes.

"Why would she be out here?" Emmett asked with a shrug.

"C'mon somethin' is wrong" I took off at a steady jog in the direction I could scent Bella in, Emmett was close behind me.

"Hey Jazz..." Emmett asked gently as we ran through the forest, dodging the thick tree trunks and bushes that emerged.

"Yea?" I murmured quietly.

"Does this mean I lose?"

**Chelsea's POV.**

"Honey we're home!" I snorted gently when Tanya announced our presence in the middle of the yard, we weren't even near the steps leading to the front door yet and already I could see that something was different.

"Tan..." I spoke gently earning me the attention of the younger vampire "...Notice anything a little..._off" _I tilted my head towards the open door.

"Okay who abused the door?" Tanya murmured rushing ahead of me to enter our mansion, Carmen was close on her heels.

"Shes allergic to taking things seriously, isn't she?" Heidi said gently, I could hear the smile in her voice, she had her arm wrapped around Irina's waist as we all made our way toward the mansion.

"It took you this long to notice huh?" Irina smirked.

"Shut up" Heidi growled playfully nudging Irina making the Russian vampire chuckle adoringly.

"Its sweet don't you think?" I shivered in awareness when Maria spoke in her soft Spanish accent as she walked closer to me.

"Sickeningly adorable" I agreed fondly, I was genuinely happy that Heidi had found the thing I craved, even if it left me even more alone.

"Just think you have all that to look forward to" Maria smiled sadly, yeah all I had to do was convince the latina to accept me as her mate and I'd be in business.

"Yay..." I forced out unenthusiastically, it could take weeks to develop a physical relationship with Maria and longer still before I could broach the whole 'he wasn't your mate' thing and even then I'd still have to be extremely careful or I was going to end up being bitch slapped and left on my own...again.

"You don't sound too optimistic" Maria commented as we climbed the steps to the mansion.

"Okay once again...I'm gonna have to pull the, 'I'm the fourth oldest vampire in creation' card" I drawled.

"Sorry..." Maria shrugged, I took a deep calming breath, fuck why couldn't I have one of those 'Holy crap you're the one' instant connection matings, I'd seen thousands of them, but did I get one, big fat fucking 'no', it reminded me of my childhood, growing up in the slums of Ericonas surrounded by every kind of unimaginable crime know to man, I had to fight every day just to keep breathing and finding food was damn near impossible to find without having to steal it, it was that or pay with your body, thankfully I had never had to go that far, but after I met Aro when I was nineteen, things got better and when I turned twenty-one, Aro offered me a chance to 'repay' him "...Chelsea?"

"Mmm..." I murmured distantly.

"Where did you go?" Maria smiled uncertainly.

"No where important" I dismissed, if I had to fight to be with Maria then I was more than game for it, hell I had a lifetime of experience with fighting for what I needed and I did _need _Maria.

"You wanna tell me about it?" Maria murmured frowning gently.

"Later lets just focus on this, shall we?" I returned my attention towards the matter at hand, I walked into the mansion to find Tanya standing in the living room doorway. I walked closer and glanced inside the room, the sight made my chest ache, Rosalie was sat at the centre of broken furniture, in her arms quietly playing with a loose strand of Rosalie's golden hair was Ashley and Esme was kneeling beside Rosalie with her arm wrapped around the blonde's shoulders, I could hear Esme crooning gently to Rosalie but I didn't want to intrude.

"Chelsea, Tanya..." I turned around to find Carmen and Eleazar standing beside the stair case. I stood a few steps toward them when I realised Tanya was still standing in the doorway with a concerned expression on her face.

"Earth to Tanya, come in Tanya..." I muttered, the taller blonde turned and walked toward me with an look of something between worry and anger.

"So?..." I prompted when every single one of us was standing in front of Carmen and Eleazar.

"Lets just say that I don't see Laurent and Fuckward living beyond tonight okay?" Eleazar murmured while rubbing the back of his head as though it was causing him physical pain.

"Alright junior start talking..." I demanded.

**Bella's POV.**

It hadn't taken me long to track down those two bastards, they'd fled back to Cullen manor back in Forks, I was crouched about fifteen yards away from the house, hidden by the vegetation. Every instinct I had was demanding that I get my baby back, but I knew if I got in there I could easily kill them both, I wouldn't even have to think about it, but what if I hurt Lucas in the process, I couldn't risk that. I growled in frustration, I felt like someone had reached into my chest an tore a third of my un-beating heart out, the feeling was made worse because back at the mansion I _knew _I shouldn't have left Lucas alone, the animal inside me had been screaming at me not to leave my young, but I had foolishly ignored it, and now my child was in the hands of two assholes who wanted to hurt me and the rest of my family. I clenched my fists tightly, feeling my forearms begin to burn painfully, I could distantly recall the same sensation when me and Victoria had been hunting Carlisle, my forearms had become encased in blue flames and while I could just imagine burning Edward and Laurent alive, glorifying in their screams of pain, it was just another thing that could hurt Lucas. I lowered my head slightly, of course I could rely on my enhanced speed to tear Edward and Laurent apart, but what if one of them was holding Lucas and they dropped him, I didn't know if Lucas was born like me, just as fragile as a human baby, and if he was the fall could kill him, fuck! this waiting was killing me. I closed my eyes, somehow managing to cling to my self-control, but it was difficult, my body was twitching with the need to kill, to protect my young from a threat that _I_ should have seen coming. My head snapped up when I heard two sets of heavy footfalls coming toward me from dozens of miles away, I turned slightly when they got impossibly closer within minutes, suddenly Emmett and Jasper came bounding through the trees, I nodded slightly and turned away from my brothers toward the house, their bodies were tensed with expectation but they didn't speak, _now _ I could take my baby back from the sons of bitches that took him from me. I forced myself not to lash out when I felt them crouch on either side of me, I didn't understand the urge, but I did know that if I didn't get in there soon the barely suppressed rage burning in the pit of my stomach was going to take over, I had to make my move before that happened, I couldn't afford to hurt those closest to me. I tensed slightly, feeling Emmett and Jasper do the same, when I suddenly heard yet move footfalls coming towards us, I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply, a wave of of crushed lavender suddenly assaulted my nostrils,_Victoria, _I didn't even spare my mother a look when she suddenly appeared crouching next to me, her body was almost vibrating with anger, but it was a mere shadow to the violence I could feel pumping through my veins, I had only felt this sensation twice before, and I could honestly say, it scared me, the rage burning inside me begging to be unleashed, the fae was roaring for freedom urging me to give into it, I snarled with animistic intensity, the sound echoed through the forest just as I sprang forward toward the house, as I moved I could feel the fae whispering seductively to me, it wanted its freedom and I didn't have the strength of will to deny it any longer.

**Edward's POV (AN: Okay so now you probably want to throw something sharp at me for this but look on the bright side, this is the last time you'll be hearing from him, ever)**

"So how are you going to convince Irina that she belongs with me?" I scowled softly when the French vampire once again interrupted me playing the piano, did he not see that I was trying to create a masterpiece here, or was it just the fact that he was in awe of my skill, intelligence and cunning, it must be the latter, I decided and resumed my playing when suddenly there was a loud cry coming from the small round table I'd ordered Laurent to bring into the family room when we'd arrived.

"Do you have to be so obnoxious?" I exclaimed to the wailing baby, God he was so much like Rosalie, always trying to create trouble and making my life harder, it was a good thing Demetri would be here soon to collect the abomination. When we'd gotten back to the manor I'd called Aro and he in turn had contacted Demetri, after that it was decided that he would come here for the whiny little cretin.

"Hes a baby...he can't actually understand you" Laurent sighed, I looked at him over my shoulder and smirked arrogantly.

"No my dear friend...that is because hes part of Rosalie and like his thieving whore of mother he lacks the common courtesy of us normal people-" I recoiled slightly when the child uttered something that might of passed as a giggle.

"-Stop that" I snapped when the child kept giggling and gurgling to himself, I took a few steps forward across the family room, I had every intention of teaching the little brat some manners before he departed for Volterra when suddenly I heard a thunderous crashing sound coming from the front of the house, it was accompanied by the sounds of glass shattering and low dangerous snarls, I froze in fear when abruptly Laurent was tackled to the ground, sat astride his chest with her hands wrapped around his throat was that red headed bitch Victoria, I ran across the room toward the child, he was my way out of this, I stopped in front of the table, but he wasn't there, the child was gone, but how and who could've moved so quickly that even I couldn't see them, I frowned and glanced around the room, I whimpered slightly when I saw Emmett and Jasper saunter into the room in front of the door, they stood shoulder to shoulder effectively closing off my escape. I cleared my throat, those two lacked any real wit, I could rely on my own to talk my way out of this, but I still had to find that child, I winced when I heard a loud tearing sound, I glanced away from the wall of muscle preventing me from getting out of here to find that Victoria had flipped Laurent onto his stomach, she had her knee pressing firmly into his shoulder blade while she twisted his arm backwards in an unnatural arch, the hold was designed to slowly sever the arm, _extremely_ slowly, the Frenchman was whimpering in pain as he struggled beneath his progeny, fucking fool, I would've been able to break her hold.

"Brothers..." I returned my attention to Emmett and Jasper, their faces were completely devoid of emotion and their bulky arms were crossed over their broad chests "...Lets be reasonable..." All I had to do was out-smart them before Victoria managed to completely shred Laurent, but from the looks of things she was enjoying making him cry out in pain.

"Oh we tried to be reasonable...all you had to do was leave us the hell alone" Emmett growled, I flinched when I heard a loud high-pitched shriek coming from Laurent, I swallowed when I noticed that Victoria had finally pulled his arm out of its socket, though she hadn't torn it off completely, she was slowly twisting the decimated limb in her grip, reducing what used to be Laurent's shoulder joint to dust, fear left a bad taste in my mouth when I heard her chuckle in amusement at the cries leaving Laurent's lips.

"Now I suggest you take a good look at that...cause it ain't gonna hold a candle to what Bella has got in store for you" Jasper drawled in his southern twang, I smiled suddenly, Bella was coming here, did she at last realise that I was doing this for us, finally she recognised me as her mate, it was long over due.

"Man he really is fucked up if he smiling at the thought" Emmett frowned at Jasper.

"Not as fucked as hes gonna be when Bells gets back" Jasper smirked, '_back'_ she'd already been here?, maybe she'd gotten nervous and fled, after all she was the one who'd been unfaithful for the past few weeks, she was lucky I even wanted her back after the shit shes put me through. Suddenly another scream came from Laurent, I shifted uncomfortably when I saw Victoria was now repeating her amputation on Laurent's other arm while the Frenchman was mumbling incoherently in broken French, I assumed he was begging for her to stop, honestly where was his back bone, had Victoria already removed it?. Suddenly time seemed to stop as the most violent snarl I'd ever heard rumbled through the room, seeming to shake the every foundation of the house, I whimpered quietly when Emmett and Jasper parted to reveal non-other than my mate, her eyes were completely black, her lithe body was tensed and her face was a mask of...fury, what right did she have to be angry, I had just secured our future together under the protection of the Volturi.

"Don't snarl at me...I'm your mate for the love of-" I trailed off gently, when one second Bella was standing there and the next she seemed to disappear in thin air, the next thing I knew something hard connected with the centre of my chest, it hit me with the force of a freight train, I grunted loudly as the contact forced me off my feet, I felt my back connect with the wall behind me, it might as well have been paper for all the resistance it offered against my body, but then paper wouldn't have hurt that much, it felt like someone had just driven a iron slab into my back, I landed on my back outside the manor in the snow, I winced at the hard contact, the world above me was spinning and my body burned with pain. A loud snarl filled my ears and suddenly Bella was gripping the front of my silk shirt with one hand and pulling me up effortlessly, I groaned slightly as the action cause my abused limbs to shift, I stared into her black eyes as she bared her teeth in a long drawn out hiss, I blinked slightly, it wasn't an hallucination her upper and lower canines had really elongated into two inch fangs.

"Let me go...please" I pleaded gently, she laughed demoniacally, before I was once again being flung through the air, I cried out when my body was slammed into a tree, the ancient oak gave way under the force of my body, I fell to the snow covered ground and landed with a pain filled groan, I struggled to get to my feet, fear was burning in my stomach, I turned on my heels and started running trying to ignore the dull ache in every single one of my limbs, I didn't get far before the pain became too much to continue running, I fell to my knees, the snow soaked through my black slacks, I clutched my broken ribs where the worst of my injuries screamed in agony. I felt a helpless sob erupt from my chest when I heard footsteps behind me.

"Kill me quickly at least-" I sobbed when Bella came into my line of sight, she crouched down gently in front of me, she seemed to be deep in thought "-You owe me that at least" Death was inevitable I knew that now, but I prayed that she would make it swift and painless.

"You're right..." Her voice was distorted, Bella's eyes flashed slightly suddenly the jet black canvas was illuminated by a neon blue ring where her pupils would've been, the sight was truly frightening, I blanched slightly "...See if I had never met you, then I never would've met Rosalie, I never would've heard her voice, marvelled over her beauty or mused over her attitude, I never would've realised that she was the other half of me or that I love her with everything I am..." I sneered slightly in response. But her words cut me more deeply than any of the physical violence she was capable of "...See when you think about it...you actually played match-maker in this little game of ours..." Bella chuckled, baring her fangs "...So yes I owe you, I owe you because now I get the chance to touch Rosalie, I get to protect and provide for her, make her laugh, tell her about everything that scares the shit out me and vice versa, but best of all I get to build a family with her..." Her words stung like acid, it made my eyes burn and chest and throat constrict "...So thank you, you paved the way for me and Rosalie and now I'll spend eternity making my mate happy and proud to be mine whereas you'll be spending eternity like you have lived your life...as nothing" Bella grinned brightly and suddenly the neon blue ring illuminating the utter blackness of her eyes burned out in the same instant her forearms erupted into blue flame, I clenched my eyes shut and screamed loudly when every inch of my body began to burn, slowly at first like millions of fire ants were crawling over my skin but then if felt as though the ants were biting into my skin, making everything burn with excruciating pain, I writhed in agony for what seemed like hours until everything drifted away into...nothingness.

**Elena's POV.**

I watched from the shadows the night had provided as Bella slowly burned her prey alive, a sadistic grin had spread over her beautiful face, from her eyes I knew that her inner fae had taken control over her actions but I knew she was drawing satisfaction from the kill. I smiled gently, at least now, I knew that my daughter and my grandchild were safe. I hadn't been able to fight my maternal instinct when I'd sensed Bella coming towards Forks not when I knew how much emotional pain she was in, I didn't regret my decision either, even though I knew I could be endangering her, I just had to know she was safe, and now I had assured myself I would be able to rest easy, I closed my eyes and focused my senses on recognising any threats, after long seconds I was satisfied that the _Sicarii _weren't in the area yet, I spun on my heel and took off at a run towards the cabin, I was already convinced that Akasha knew I'd left, but I also knew that she'd understand my reasons, I smiled lovingly as I ran through the forest faster than the eyes of a vampire could track, Akasha tried to portray herself as being impassive but underneath she was capable of love and hate stronger than a legion of Fae combined, and that was why I loved her.

**Rosalie's POV.**

I felt like a large part of me was missing without Lucas and Bella with me, I leaned down and nuzzled the side of Ashley's face taking comfort from the soft sigh my baby made. I was still sat at the centre of the demolished living room, with Esme sat beside me telling me without words that she was there if I needed her. Suddenly Esme's phone started vibrating, Ashley literally growled at the unfamiliar sound, my eyes widened slightly in shock, Ashley looked up at me and giggled, no doubt because my eyes were bugging out my head.

"Hey baby..." Esme greeted softly, I smiled down at Ashley when I heard Victoria's voice over the phone.

"_We got him"_

**TBC. . .**

**AN: And there you have it, Fuckward is gone, but I gotta admit I wrote his death scene three different times and I'm still not happy with it but hes gone, now everyone can do a little happy dance while I go plan how I'm gonna kill Aro off. Oh and does anyone have any idea on what kinda power I should give the twins cause I'm stumped. Til next time guys ;D **


	30. Chapter 30

Title: Coming Home

Pairing(s): Bella/Rosalie, Leah/Alice, Victoria/Esme, Tanya/Jasper, Emmett/Kate, Alec/Seth, Jane/Jacob.

Rating: M.

Disclaimer: Nothing is mine it all belongs to Stephanie Meyer.

Summary: The Cullens left in new moon, Victoria changed Bella, together along with Seth, Jacob and Leah they've lived in Forks for over a century, what happens when the Cullens come back?.

**AN: I'm so, so sorry, you don't have to tell me how long its been since the last update 'cause believe me I know, but I've been really busy with school lately and I mean **_**really **_**busy****. Anyway, thanks for all the reviews/favourites/alerts its nice to know everyone enjoyed Fuckward getting the boot. In this chapter, Demetri goes back to Volterra where he meets a very unhappy Aro and an amused Caius, Maria feels confused over her feelings for Chelsea, Emmett gets into a 'predicament' with Kate, Aro makes a new 'friend' and finally Rosalie and Bella talk about the future which ends in Lemons, cause as '**_**Zelda's Hero'**_** reminded me, its been a while since the last Rosella lemon, now then on with the chapter I hope everyone enjoys ;) **

**Chapter Thirty, Caius' POV.**

"That little shit did what!" I snorted to myself when Aro shrieked at Demetri, I'm surprised the stone walls surrounding us didn't suddenly implode, I smirked down at Demetri when he looked up at me pleadingly, there wasn't much I could do about Aro being in a pissy mood, besides I knew exactly where Demetri's loyalties lay, and they sure as hell weren't with me.

"Edward kidnapped the fae's son..." Demetri murmured again, I rolled my blood red eyes in exasperation, didn't he know that Aro was being rhetorical?.

"Then why, pray tell, isn't the young fae in my possession?" I crossed my arms over my chest and watched the scene before me, while I was sat up on the dais, Demetri was stood in the direct centre of the throne room with his head downcast, whether in respect or fear I wasn't sure, though why someone would be scared of Aro is way beyond me, my brother had always been all talk, even when we were children and that was a _very _long time ago.

"Because..." Demetri began slowly, obviously attempting to gather his thoughts so he didn't accidentally say the wrong thing in the wrong way.

"'Because' what!" Aro snapped, moving from his throne to stand in front of Demetri, if we hadn't been vampires I would've found this sight amusing, both Aro and Demetri were the same height of Six-foot-four, Aro was more or less stick thin whereas Demetri was very muscular, he wasn't as big as Felix but still, had we been human he'd have easily been able to snap Aro in two, oh now _that _would've been a sight for sore eyes, I smirked once again.

"Well Edward is dead..." Demetri growled.

"Praise Jesus..." I grinned, ignoring the harsh look I was suddenly getting from Aro "...What?" I muttered, I knew exactly why Aro was giving a dark look though, that annoying, bronze-haired little shit had been Aro's way of procuring Bella's service, without him having to lift a finger, a tactic he was very fond of.

"Edward was a very dear friend Caius" Aro hissed.

"Of yours maybe..." I retorted gently "...Personally I never could tolerate his 'all about me' attitude" I smirked when Aro turned away from Demetri to glare at me fully.

"Don't be such a snob Caius...all Edward wanted in life was a mate...something I was prepared to give him" Aro stated in a some what calmer tone, though I could see frustration burning in his eyes, he knew that his chances of gaining Bella as an 'ally' were quickly going from excruciatingly slim to non-existent, that knowledge brought me more satisfaction than I'd felt in over five centuries.

"No all he wanted was Bella...something you were never going to give him" I sneered, I didn't know where I was going with this but if it got under Aro's skin then this tennis match was gonna keep going.

"Of course not..." Aro scoffed "...When I get Bella under my thumb she is damn well going to stay there"

"'If' Aro..." I corrected quickly "...'if' you get Bella under your thumb, and I have to say even the guards are beginning to doubt your ability to do so" I said slyly, I didn't have a clue whether or not that was true, but then again mind games were my favourite hobby and Aro was generally my main target.

"Is this true!" Aro suddenly turned back to Demetri, the younger vampire tensed visibly, though I suspected it was because he'd thought we'd forgotten about him, I almost laughed, how naïve some people could be.

"No..." Demetri snapped a little too quickly to be believable, I snorted at the shocked look that crossed Aro's pale face.

"Don't worry I'm sure Sulpicia still has faith in you" I remarked sarcastically, I knew of my sister's discontentment when it came to Aro, contrary to popular belief Aro and Sulpicia weren't actually mates, there was a level of tolerance between the two, but it had taken over a millennia to build and they still couldn't be in the same room as each other, I snorted gently, it was coming to the point where I couldn't think of anyone who actually liked Aro, the guard supported him but that was only because he made every single one of them, the bond between a maker and his or her prodigy wasn't easily severed, but it wasn't impossible, I knew that from Jane and Alec.

"Thank you for that Caius..." Aro snapped irritably in his high pitched voice.

"You're welcome..." I replied in an overly sweet voice, things were definitely beginning to look up for us, soon Aro would be taken care of, Didyme would be avenged, me and Marcus would finally be free of Aro and Bella would take her place as ruler of the vampire race. I frowned gently, it had been a while since I'd been in touch with Bella or even Marcus for that matter "...Anyway I have more pressing matters to address..." I stood up swiftly and smirked at Aro's shocked expression before I moved gracefully toward the door "...Good luck" I murmured quietly to Demetri as I passed the younger vampire on my way out of the throne room.

"I'm gonna need it" Demetri returned just as quietly, I chuckled softly as I crossed the rest of the way to the double doors leading out into the corridors, I gripped the solid gold handles and pulled both of the solid marble doors open, the bottoms of the doors scrapped against the stone floor, emphasising the silence between Demetri and Aro behind me, I almost felt guilty for leaving Demetri behind to deal with my brother, but if past experience had told me anything, Aro didn't rid himself of vampires who had unique talents like Demetri, I nodded to myself gently, if anything Aro would probably just send Demetri back to Alaska at the earliest convenience. I walked through the dimly lit halls at a leisurely pace, the only sound to be heard was my steady foot-falls and the distance voices of the guards.

"Good evening Gianna..." I greeted the young human when I finally found myself in the foyer "...Get Marcus on the phone would you and then perhaps you would like to have a break or something?" I smiled at the petite human, now dialling the number to our safe-house in Mexico, I didn't generally like blood-bags but Gianna did warrant some sort of tolerance, after all she hadn't told Aro about my somewhat shifty calls to Marcus.

"Here you go" She murmured holding out the receiver to me.

"_Grazie..."_ I quickly reached across her oak desk and took the receiver from her, I waited until Gianna had disappeared before bringing the black receiver up to my ear "...Well if it isn't my long lost brother..." I drawled sarcastically.

**Rosalie's POV.**

"Do you think he knew what was going on?" I glanced away from my sleeping children to look at Bella, the four of us were sprawled out on our bed, they twins were laying on their sides facing each other while me and Bella were curled around them.

"Maybe..." I murmured quietly, since she'd brought Lucas back home Bella had been distant, she wouldn't look at me, she wouldn't touch me, even though we were more or less curled into a protective ball around Ashley and Lucas, it was like she thought I blamed her for what Laurent and Edward did. I scowled to myself, I didn't blame her, I was angry at myself for leaving Lucas with Laurent when I knew in the back of my mind something was wrong. I shifted closer to Lucas, his tiny frame was pressed against my chest, I smiled when I heard him gurgle to Ashley, if I didn't know any better I'd say he was complaining about how clinging I was being, typical boy, I smiled and moved my hand that had been resting on my thigh so I could wrap my hand around him, he was so small and fragile that my hand covered his entire torso.

"You're smiling" Bella commented quietly, I looked back up at Bella, I clenched my jaw shut tightly when she glanced back down at Ashley quickly, I took a deep calming breath, it was obvious we were going to have to talk about this when the twins were asleep even though I just wanted to forget the last twenty-four hours had even happened.

"I was just thinking about how small they are" My lips curled into a wider smile when Bella's eyes brightened in response, though they still remained a shade of black instead of their normal neon blue, seeing my mate so upset made my chest tighten painfully.

"Mmm small...and helpless" She replied in a harsh tone, I really wanted to move closer to my mate so I could hold her close to me, but I couldn't do that until the twins were asleep and in their crib, I sighed gently and moved my hand away from Lucas' warm body so I could rest my head on Bella's hip, she flinched gently, though she didn't rebuff my touch, I squeezed her hip comfortingly.

"Thats why they have us" I pointed out.

"Yeah and I already managed to fu-"

"Hey!..." I snapped, I knew where she was going with it, and I'd be damned if I was gonna let her "...Its not your fault Laurent was delusional and Edward was a little prick"

"But I _knew _Laurent was up to something" Bella insisted in a small voice that reminded me of when she was human, it had been so long since I'd heard that tone and to be honest it felt like I was talking to a different person, I sighed gently and moved my hand from her hip down towards her thigh, I slowly began to draw small circles on her thigh with my forefinger, I smiled when I felt the toned muscle beneath my hand relax slightly.

"I've never been so scared in my life..." I admitted gently, I almost wanted to take my words back when I felt her thigh tense as tight as a bow string once more, but I continued tracing circular patterns with my slender finger until I felt the tension leave her body, I halted my movements and squeezed her thigh comfortingly "...But he is safe here with us...the best thing we can do now, is make sure nothing like this ever happens again" I tilted my head slightly to the side when she finally met my gaze for the first time since she'd gotten back, I bit my lip to hide my satisfied smile when I noticed that her eyes had lightened, but still they weren't the beautiful blue that I loved gazing into, even if mine were the same colour, hers just seemed brighter and more captivating.

"But he could have die-"

"Please...Don't remind me..." I did _not _want to relive that sense of loss again, it felt like someone had brutally torn my heart out of my chest as I watched helplessly, I shivered gently, I do remember tearing the living room apart, no actually it had been more like, I was watching myself doing it, but no matter how much I struggled I couldn't gain control over my limbs, all the while, I could feel myself drifting closer and closer to a dark place where none of my morals and emotional attachments existed, it was like everything good in my life dispersed until I was this empty shell with a thirst for violence, I swallowed hard, while the experience had been scary as hell, that loss of boundaries, it was strangely alluring. The only thing that had managed to pull me away from the edge had been Ashley, I looked down at my daughter, she was looking up at me with a slight frown on her angelic face as though she knew where my thoughts had drifted off to and didn't like it at all, I grinned at her, before I shifted downward and nuzzled the side of her face lovingly, her skin was warmer than my own and the pale expanse felt impossibly softer, I pulled back gently so I could press a tiny kiss to her forehead before I did the same to Lucas, I grinned when he yawned widely, he just looked so damn cute "...Oh by the way you missed your daughter growling at Esme's phone" I chuckled breezily as I looked into Bella's surprised eyes.

"'Growling' as in actually..." Bella trailed off when suddenly a husky sound filled our bedroom, I laughed helplessly, when Bella looked down at Ashley with a perplexed expression, Ashley managed to tilt her head back at Bella, once again a husky sound filled the room again, I grinned dreamily, my baby had quite the little growl on her.

"Mmmhm..." I murmured while Bella leaned down so she could nuzzle Ashley adoringly, I sighed in contentment when I heard Bella begin to purr, my eyes widened when I noticed two little humming sounds were coming from both Ashley and Lucas, almost like they were purring as well, I cleared my throat gently and blinked rapidly when my eyes began to burn with happy tears.

"Rose?..." Bella asked softly. I raised my free hand, which had been resting along the headboard so I could brush my thumb beneath my eyes.

"Yep..." I answered in a hoarse voice, I groaned at myself before I cleared my throat once more, I moved my hand away from my face and let it fall back to the pillows so I could look at my family.

"You're crying" Bella mused.

"No I'm not" I forced a smile though my eyes started stinging insistently and my vision became blurry, fucking active tear ducts, before I got pregnant I couldn't cry even if I wanted to, now it was like every time I got emotional, the waterworks turned on automatically.

"Yeah ya are" Bella grinned happily, I could hearing the soft humming sound coming from the twins increase to the point I could feel Lucas almost vibrating against my chest.

"Shut up..." I whined, while blinking rapidly, thankfully the constant burning sensation dimmed and my vision cleared, my lips parted gently when I noticed that Bella's eyes had returned to their usual neon blue colour.

"Sorry..." Bella shrugged dismissively, though I could tell she was still thinking about what Laurent did, I sighed to myself before I resumed drawing soothing patterns on her nylon covered thigh, I smirked when her eyes drifted closed lazily even though she couldn't actually sleep, still I loved the effect I had on her, I rested my head against my pillows, a blissful sigh fell from my lips when I heard the twin's breathing even out, indicating they'd fallen asleep at long last, I grinned widely, it felt so good to have my family around me, I could feel my chest swelling with love and devotion that I knew all three of them reciprocated, I slowly let my eyes drift closed, allowing myself to luxuriate in the moment because I knew with our luck, this peace wouldn't last, but as long as I had _this _with them, whatever the hell the Aro wanted to throw at us, it was just gonna get thrown right back at him.

**Maria's POV.**

"So what happens now?" I mused aloud, I was sat up on the black marble island in the kitchen while Chelsea, Tanya and Kate were sat on three stools in front of me, Carmen was wailing over her destroyed living room with Eleazar, Irina and Heidi were out 'hunting' though I was pretty sure that was code for 'hot sex in the trees', Victoria and Esme were in the dining room ordering new furniture for the living room, while Jasper and Emmett had all but dragged Felix out into the garage for a 'little chat', about what I couldn't possibly guess and if I was completely honest I didn't want to know.

"Well I guess thats up to Bella, isn't it?" Kate turned towards Tanya for an answer.

"Yeah Chelsea, its up to Bella right?" Tanya smirked, I looked towards the ancient vampire, she was looking right back at me with an unreadable expression, though there was a stubborn tick in her oval shaped jaw and a soft frown marring her beautiful face, I bit my lip gently and crossed my arms over my black shirt, my fingers were itching to touch her, I didn't know why but whenever she was around I craved any small amount of physical contact I could get with her, whether it was brushing up against her as we walked or deliberately reaching out to touch her, I clenched my hands into tightly clenched fists, I really didn't like the impulse, it felt like I was being unfaithful to Rodrigo just thinking about it.

"Yes I suppose it is Bella's decision" Chelsea murmured in her exotic Greek accent, I had to tense my muscles so I didn't shudder in response to the captivating monotone, but it was just so damn hard when it felt like each syllable turned into an invisible hand that caressed each of my senses, not even Rodrigo had been able to effect me like this, I shook myself slightly, hoping to disrupt my own train of thought, I didn't like its direction.

"So in the mean time we just sit here?" Kate mused aloud.

"Guess so" I reluctantly turned away from Chelsea, though I could still feel her eyes on me, I uncrossed my arms and reached up to play with the loose strands of my thick, black tresses, I needed to do something with my hands that didn't involve Chelsea.

"Yay..." Tanya cheered unenthusiastically, I smirked at her board expression "...Hey why don't we have a house party?" Tanya exclaimed, I grinned at the sight, I could just imagine what a house party with Tanya would be like and I'm guessing that there wouldn't be much of a house left when she was done.

"Okay first off, we're vampires so booze is out, second who the hell would we invite and third...there are children upstairs" Kate pointed out dryly.

"Argh when did you get so damn depressing?" Tanya scowled at Kate.

"Oh bite me Tan" Kate growled, I shifted on the counter top, I could feel a fight coming on.

"Fine where do ya want it?" Tanya retorted, I leaned back gently, Tanya and Kate had both turned around on their stools so they could face each other, they were both glaring playfully at each other, or at least I thought it looked playful, maybe.

"On my-"

"Evening" I turned around towards the back door to find Felix standing there with his muscular arms crossed over his broad chest.

"Oh hey now we can talk about what the hell went on between you and Laurent" Tanya announced in a gleeful tone when she looked around my slender frame to find Felix smiling at the four of us, I rolled my eyes gently, one minute she was planning on where she was gonna bite her sister and the next she wants to discuss Felix's love life, the woman is crazy.

"There isn't much to talk about..." Felix shrugged.

"Bullshit...now pull up a stool so we can interrogate you" Tanya demanded.

"Oooh I wanna be the good cop" Kate smirked.

"Obviously..." Tanya rolled her eyes in a 'duh' kind of way that had me chuckling softly to myself.

"Are you trying to imply something T?" Kate narrowed her golden eyes on her sister suspiciously.

"Yes I'm trying to get across that you suck at being bad...I thought that point was clear?" Tanya drawled while shaking her head.

"I hate you" Kate hissed, though there wasn't much heat behind the hiss which made me think they did this sort of thing all the time.

"Ouch! You wound me with your harsh words" Tanya sighed dramatically and clutched her chest with her hands, even though I could see a definite twinkle in her lively gold eyes.

"Drama queen" Kate accused.

"You know it...now shut up and play along" Tanya ordered, I shook my head slowly.

"Oh dear sister..."

"Y'know what I'm gonna go see...if someone needs help with...anything" I frowned to myself before I swivelled around and hopped off the island with ease.

"I'll join you" I hide my smile behind my hand when Chelsea's unique accent caressed my sense until I felt slightly dizzy.

"O-okay" I mentally slapped myself for stuttering, _dios__, _she was going to think something was wrong with me, and that was all I needed.

"Yeah and Em and Jazz need me back in the garage" I heard Felix murmur, though it sounded as though he was miles away as I watched Chelsea gracefully slide off her stool, I leaned back against the doorway as she walked toward me, the white v-neck tank top she was wearing was tight enough that I could see her toned abdomen and more than a generous amount of cleavage, I scowled to myself though I couldn't drag my eyes away from her, instead I forced myself to trail my eyes down her body, though I regretted my decision when I noticed the seductive sway of her hips and her long toned legs, it felt like time slowed down as she came towards me with a soft smirk playing with the corner of her mouth.

"So where are we going?" She asked breezily when she stood in front of me, I swallowed hard when her unique scent seemed to wash over me, she smelled like crushed lilac and pine needles, it suited her perfectly and it was so different form Rodrigo's, I froze gently, what the hell was I doing, my mate was dead and I was thinking about how intoxicating Chelsea was, Fuck!, there was something seriously wrong with me.

"...Anywhere" Where there was someone to chaperone me, I mentally added to myself, but I shouldn't need the presence of others to keep a hold over myself, should I?.

"How about we hunt...I don't know about you but its been a while for me..." Chelsea drawled softly, there was something about the way she said that, I shivered gently, it made me think about sex, I bit my tongue roughly to keep my mind from wondering towards the gutter, sex hadn't interested me in over three hundred years, men or women, vampire or human they simply didn't interest me, but Chelsea did, I whimpered in distress, why did I feel this way about someone else other than my mate. Chelsea growled slightly in response, it wasn't aggressive but neither was it playful, I couldn't make myself move away from her even though something inside me wanted nothing more "...Something I intend to rectify very soon" Chelsea murmured in a husky voice that had me shuddering in awareness of just how close she was, I could feel the warmth radiating from her slightly smaller body, it made me want to burrow into her, Chelsea shrugged delicately before she moved past me and out into the hallway, I released a sigh of relief even though a part of me was kneeing for her, I hissed at myself angrily, I needed to get control over these confusing emotions and I needed to be quick about it.

"-Well then mine sister how may I earn your forgiveness for thine insult?" I heard Kate drawl in an odd accent, what the hell were they doing?.

"-You could always kiss thy ass, you pumpkin head" I heard Tanya retort swiftly.

**Bella's POV.**

"Lets put these little ones to bed" I opened my eyes slowly, my throat constricted tightly at the sight that met my eyes, Rosalie was kneeling on her side of our bed, her long blonde hair was framing her beautiful face as she smiled down at me, I frowned gently, I didn't even remember feeling the mattress dip with her movements, I sat up slowly, careful not to disturb the sleeping twins, I turned slowly so I could get a better look at them, Ashley and Lucas were facing each other with their eyes closed and their little chests moving up and down steadily with their breathing, but the thing that made me smile widely was that their little hands were resting on each other's chests as they slept.

"M'kay" I murmured quietly, before I slowly climbed onto my knees in an identical position to Rosalie, I waited until she had carefully slid her hands under Lucas' blonde head and under his back, before I did the same to Ashley, thankfully neither of them woke up when me and Rose lifted our precious bundles into our arms, I stayed perfectly still for a few seconds, just to be sure that my daughter wasn't going to wake up, before I carefully climbed off my queen sized bed with Ashley cradled against my chest, when my bare feet hit the carpet covered floor, I looked over my shoulder to make sure Lucas was still asleep. I carefully moved towards the bedroom door that had been left ajar when me and Rose had brought the twins into our room earlier, I had to use my foot to pulled the door open slightly, I walked out into the hall with my mate and my son close behind me, I tighten my arms around Ashley slightly before I turned and walked down the hall, all the while I kept my eyes on Ashley's sleeping form, she looked like a little angel as she slept soundlessly, I felt my chest tighten as I traced her features with my eyes, it still felt unreal, that I had two adorable children with the woman I loved, it was such a simple concept but each one of them meant more to me than my own life. I sighed lovingly when I came to the nursery door, once again it had been left ajar though I assumed Esme or Victoria had though ahead and done it cause I couldn't remember either me or Rosalie doing it, I pushed open the door with my foot, though I was careful not to use too much force, the last thing I wanted was to wake up the sleeping angel in my arms, 'cause she would scream her little head off if I did. I walked into the nursery, making sure to keep my foot-falls as silent as possible, I headed towards the large white crib that was big enough for both Ashley and Lucas, when I was standing beside it though, I couldn't bring myself to let go of Ashley, it was like my arms had turned to stone, unwilling to let release the precious bundle nestled against my chest, I rolled my eyes at myself even as I heard Rosalie moving toward me.

"The general idea is to place her in the crib, you know that right?" Rosalie smirked, she was stood beside me, so close I could feel the warmth of her voluptuous body, Lucas' head resting on her shoulder as he slept, she was supporting the back of his blonde head and while her other hand was pressed against his back, but I couldn't help but notice that she was relinquishing her hold on Lucas either.

"Just give me a minute" I tightened my hold on my daughter instinctively, it felt soothing to have Ashley pressed against me and it was a feeling I didn't want to lose anytime soon, but she did need to sleep, and the best place for that was in her crib, I narrowed my eyes on the opposing object, I chuckled lightly, I couldn't believe I was getting resentful of a damn crib. I leaned over the white frame gently, and slowly lowered Ashley onto the soft mattress, the blanket had already been moved down luckily, I slowly unfolded my arms from around my Daughter and drew back from the crib, I smiled widely when Ashley self-consciously turned her head towards Lucas' side of the crib. I moved back slightly so Rosalie could place Lucas next to his slightly older sister, I smiled lovingly when I saw Rosalie press a soft kiss to each of the twin's forehead before she pulled the thick white blanket up over the them, the cashmere material came up to their chests. I moved forward silently when Rosalie lingered beside the crib, I impulsively cupped her slender hips in my hand and urged her backwards so our bodies were pressed against each other, I sighed contentedly, it felt like it had been decades since I'd last held my mate even though I knew it had only been hours, I rested my head on her warm shoulder while her hands were suddenly covering mine as she entwined our fingers together and pulled my arms around her waist, I turned my head and nuzzled the graceful column of her neck, I loved her scent of crushed rose petals and amber notes, it was sweet yet intoxicating, something so uniquely her. She tilted her head to the side with a soft sigh, my eyes fluttered closed as I pulled our bodies impossibly closer, we fit together perfectly, I nipped at her oval jawline with my teeth while I felt her squeeze my hands firmly. Suddenly she turned her head towards me, our lips were so close I could almost taste her, but I was monetarily stunned, it never failed to amaze me just how beautiful she was, but that wasn't the only thing I loved about her, I loved how protective she was, I loved how she interacted with those around her, the compassionate nature she'd tried to keep a secret when we first met, hell I even loved the frown she got when she was thinking but what made her irreplaceable to me, was the fact that all she had to do was look at me and suddenly the day seemed brighter than it had seconds before, the fact that when she was around I knew I belonged somewhere to someone and yet I didn't feel smothered by the prospect, it felt safe and so unbelievably right that my chest was started to ache as the very fibre of my being screamed in the knowledge that this woman, this goddess was mine, and now, not only did I have Rosalie, but we had two beautiful children together, I sighed gently, never before had I felt so lucky or complete.

"Where did you go?" Rosalie whispered gently in her musical tone, I tightened my arms around her waist before I rested my forehead against hers.

"Heaven" I smiled when her neon blue eyes started shining knowingly.

**Emmett's POV.**

"Hey babe" I grinned widely when Kate walked into the garage followed by Tanya, I had been working on my new Hummer while Felix and Jasper were over in a corner whispering about something, probably to do with the ring Jasper bought, though why he didn't just go to Alice or Rose about it, I didn't know.

"Hey..." I turned away from my car to face her when Kate walked toward me with all the grace of a supermodel, though she was way, _way _more beautiful than they could ever hope to be "...when did you get that?" Kate murmured, looking behind me in the direction of my car.

"Yesterday...Jasper dragged me into town" I mentally face-palmed when Tanya's eyes narrowed suspiciously, as she came to stand beside Kate, a few inches in front of me.

"Why did ya go into town?" Tanya asked with a soft frown, I froze gently, I didn't have an excuse and I couldn't tell her the truth without blowing the surprise, hell I already got banned off my X-box I didn't know what Jasper would do if I ruined this.

"Tan...they haven't had much time to see the changes since they moved back up here, they just wanted to see if they were missing out on anything, right baby?" Kate looked up at me with a look that could only be interpreted as 'you _will_ be telling me later', it was kinda hot, especially on my mate.

"Right" I agreed, thankful for Kate's quick thinking, was it possible for her to be more perfect?.

"Alright..." Tanya smiled, before she turned to make her way over to Jasper, who was looking at her like a starved man looks a banquet, did I do that, I thought with a frown, not that I minded looking at Kate with complete adoration and love I just wanted to know "...Its utter BS, but fine, I wring it outta you later" Tanya sent playful smile in my direction, I suddenly felt like a mouse faced with a hungry cat, it was _not _a pleasant sensation.

"Not if I get there first..." Kate smirked and wrapped her arm around my waist, oh great hungry cat number one has a friend, I chuckled nervously while hesitantly wrapping my arm around her slender shoulders "...Now then _moya lyubovʹ_are you going to tell me whats going on or am I gonna have to play dirty?" Her seductive tone had very provocative images replaying in my head, I turned slightly until our bodies were pressed together tightly, she shivered slightly in response while I groaned gently at the feel of her breasts pressing into my lower chest.

"I think we're definitely gonna have to play" I smirked at the instant hunger burning in her eyes, darkening the motel gold until it became a shining amber, she might as well of injected steel into my cock, I inhaled sharply at the feeling of my dick pressing insistently against the tight confines of my jeans, the sensation was almost painful, I was gonna be lucky if I didn't bust the seam, I grinded our hips together slowly letting her feel how she affected me, the soft moan that escaped her lush lips had me gripping her curvy waist in a tight grip that would have broken bones on a human, but not with my Kate, she just reached up with her hands and sank her sharp nails into my muscular biceps, the acute sting had my cock twitching in my jeans desperately.

"Oh yeah baby...but don't think you're gonna win this one quite so easily" I reached around her and cupped her firm backside, groaning at the feel of my mate's soft flesh filling my hands, she smirked and let me take her entire weight as she leaped up and wrapped her mile long legs around my waist, I hissed when I felt how hot she was already.

"I think this is gonna be one of those pesky win-win situations myself" I grinned, and carried my mate out of the garage and towards the mansion.

**Rosalie's POV.**

"So...when are you going to call Marcus?" I murmured gently, we were back in our room, on our bed, dressed only in our poor excuse for underwear, I didn't want any barriers between us, not even the thinnest ones but I knew if we were completely naked, we wouldn't be talking, we'd be making love and there would be plenty of time for that later, right now we needed to talk about the future. Bella was on her side while I was curled around her with my scantly covered breasts pressing into her back, her head was resting on my outstretched arm, my free hand was resting on her hip beneath the soft sheets I pulled up to our waists and our legs had become entwined at some point.

"Tomorrow..." Bella murmured in a quiet tone, I moved my head closer so I could nuzzle my face in the crook of her warm neck, I sighed gently when I inhaled her freesia and jasmine scent.

"And then what?" Did I really want to hear the answer to that question, on some level I didn't, but both me and Bella had the twins to think about now, and I wasn't about to let them grow up in a world where the Volturi could be waiting to take them away from us at any second.

"You know what" Bella murmured distantly, I closed my eyes gently, it was ironic really, to acquire the peace we wanted we had to fight for it, ironic and annoying, we should _have _to do this, it wasn't Bella's fault that she was one of the last fae on Earth, she hadn't asked for it, neither had I and yet, we were forced to put our lives on hold because Aro, self-obsessed little bitch that he was had decided that he wanted us to serve him, yeah like that was ever gonna happen, we could kill him easily, the only thing that had me worrying was the twins, if we were going to eliminate Aro, it was clear we were going to have to go to Italy to do so, cause Aro was a lazy little shit who couldn't drag himself over to America, but we couldn't fight a war with Aro and keep an eye on the twins, could we?, I knew we had a large coven and I knew every single one of my brothers and sisters were able fighters and I trusted them with my life, but the Volturi coven was larger still and most of them had 'gifts', which made them even more formidable. I snuggled closer to Bella, it seemed hopeless, I wanted to keep my family safe but I didn't want to jeopardise the twin's safety by doing it.

"What about the twins?" I finally choked out, I felt Bella tense in my arms, I squeezed her hip gently in response.

"I'll figure something out...No one is gonna hurt them or you" I pulled my head back when she turned to look up at me, the determination burning in her eyes was infectious.

"I love you" I whispered gently, sometimes it actually scared me how much she meant to me, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

"I love you too baby" I smiled, and leaned down so I could brush my lips across hers tenderly, she pressed her lips against mine almost instantly, I smiled against her when I felt her hands begin to run up and down my naked back, the feeling of her nails grazing over my skin had me shivering against her, I licked her lower lip making her gasp excitedly, I moaned low in my throat and pressed my body closer to hers, I sighed when I felt her hips cant up towards mine, I groaned softly when she parted her lips, tempting me to thrust my tongue inside the hot cavern of her mouth, I nipped at her full lower lip when I felt her hand trail towards the clasp of my dark purple bra.

"Wait, wait..." I pulled back slightly though Bella's agile hands stayed exactly where they were, I took a deep breath, she looked so damn tempting right now, her eyes were dark with lust, her pouting lips were damp and parted, her long dark hair was spread out across our pillows.

"What?" She pouted.

"We've still got things to talk about" Things that were more important that relieving the pulsing need building inside me, even if it was becoming uncomfortable.

"Can't we do that later?" Bella whined, I smirked when I felt her arch her back up towards me.

"One more thing..." I promised softly "...And then you can have me however you want..." I leaned down slowly, loving the way her oval shaped jaw clenched tightly as I felt her fingers dig into my back insistently, the scent of our combined arousal filled our bedroom "...And I mean that..." I purred seductively, suddenly the world was spinning around me as I found myself on my back beneath her, she was straddling my hips and pinning my hands to the bed in a firm grip, I laughed huskily and flexed my fingers slightly, I was not gonna be able to break her grip, not that I particularly wanted to but still, I loved how dominate she could be at times "...Mmm I'm not gonna be able to walk tomorrow am I?" I mused aloud, a loud growl filled our bedroom, I shuddered at the rumbling sound coming from my mate, I arched my hips upwards slowly, grinding myself into her lace covered pussy, her strong abdominal muscles visibly clenched in response to the soft friction, fuck, I bit my lower lip softly she was already so hot, I couldn't wait to slide my tongue through her hot, wet folds, I shook my head softly, trying to get a grip on my senses, but how could I when all I could feel were soft, teasing flames of arousal caressing my body.

"How about I convince you that your little talk can wait instead" I smiled slowly as she leaned down toward me.

"Sounds like a plan..." I whispered huskily, I lifted my head and closed the shrinking distance between our lips, I moaned loudly when she parted her lips for me, I wasted no time in thrusting my tongue inside the hot depths of her mouth, our tongues tangled together in a slow sensual dance, she tasted like honey, so sweet and addictive, but it wasn't enough, I wanted to touch her, tease every inch of her gorgeous body until she was crazy with lust "...Bella" I moaned against her lips, I tried to move my wrists but her hold was unbreakable, I couldn't move, not with her pinning my wrists to the mattress and not with her sat astride my hips, it excited me more than it should, each and every nerve ending in my body was so aware of her body pressing into mine, my breasts felt swollen and my nipples were rasping painfully against the confines of my lacy bra, I groaned from the uncomfortable sensation, I couldn't wait to feel Bella's mouth covering the hot points, my hips arched of their own accord, fuck, I could already feel the hot slide of her tongue over my nipples, I needed it so damn much. I whimpered into her mouth, before I nipped desperately at her lower lip, she gasped in response, the soft sound travelled right to my engorged clit, making it throb insistently.

"Bella...I need you to touch me" I whispered heatedly, she pressed a soft kiss to my lips before she trailed her lips down to my jaw then to my neck, I sighed gently, when I felt her soft lips caressing the crook of my neck, she parted her lips and licked at my sensitive skin, I groaned and arched my hips up to her, I could feel her smiling against me a she lapped at my neck slowly, I tilted my head to the side offering her what I knew she wanted, I shuddered uncontrollably when I felt her rake her teeth across my neck, I felt like I was on fire and being pinned down only increased the sensation of her hot mouth on my skin, I groaned in frustration when she continued to lap at my neck, the wet slide of her tongue over my skin was making me wet, I could feel the slow slide of my juices coating the bare lips of my pussy and damping my lacy thong.

"Fuck!...Mmm..." I moaned loudly when I felt her sink her sharp teeth in to my neck, she growled huskily as she started sucking at the small wound with long pulls, I shivered helplessly, my breathing was getting heavier with each second that passed, but I couldn't bring myself to care though, not when she was moaning against my neck as she fed, the soft noises were caressing my nerve endings.

"You taste so damn good" She whispered in my ear, my hips jerked upward at the lust I could hear in her voice, I could feel arousal burning in my lower stomach, my wet pussy was grating against the damp material of my thong, the friction was so good but it wasn't enough, the whisper-light touch was nothing compared to the sensation of Bella's fingers running through my glistening folds before the filled me so deliciously, I felt my pussy clench hungrily at the thought.

"Bella please..." I pleaded gently, she gave one last lick to the small wound in my neck before she nibbled her way along my jaw line, the teasing caress had me whimpering in frustration.

"Patience babe..." Bella murmured, I jerked my wrists slightly, though she wouldn't release me, I sighed raggedly, my fingers were itching to feel her soft skin and yet I couldn't break her restraining hold. Bella smiled against my jaw, before she released my wrists, I quickly buried my hands in her dark hair and tilted my head so I could possess her soft lips in a hard kiss, she moved her lips against mine as she placed her hands on either side of my ribs so she could kiss me fervently.

"I need you" I moaned against her lips, my entire body was pulsing with need, and she was talking about patience?.

"Then tell me what you want sweetness" Bella crooned.

"My nipples hurt Bella...I want you to suck them..." I drawled seductively, the smirked that spread across her face had excitement travelling through my body, oh God, no one had the right to be that sexy. Bella pressed a gentle kiss to my lips, before she slowly slide down my taut body, I licked my lips slowly, when I felt her hands on my thighs, I spread my legs with little encouragement, she quickly covered my body with hers, I gasped loudly when I felt her grind her hips into my lace covered pussy, the small jolt of pleasure had flames of arousal licking up and down my spine making me arch up to her, my nipples were so hard they almost hurt, I needed her mouth on them, sucking them, licking them whatever the hell she wanted. Bella braced her weight on her knees as her hands trailed up from my thighs, over my hips and mid-section, I cried out sharply when her hands covered the generous mounds of my breasts, she cupped them, applying a teasing amount of pressure, just enough to make me writhe against her desperately.

"Don't tease me...Bella..." I panted heavily as I watched her hands move toward the front clasp of my bra, our eyes met slowly, I licked my lips again, she growled hungrily as she watched me, suddenly, with a simple move of her fingers, my breasts were released from their confines, I bucked up to her, as the cool air caressed my diamond hard nipples, I sat up enough to shrug out of the purple material, I flung it off to the side, before I returned to my former position, laid out on my back with my thighs spread on either side of Bella's slender hips.

"God you're so beautiful..." She murmured as she leaned over me, I arched my back a second before her lips covered one of my hard, aching nipples, while her hand swiftly covered my other breast, I gasped at the pinpoints of rapturous sensation beginning to tingle over my body as her moaned around my distended tip, her hot mouth drew on me with a hunger that rivalled my own. My head fell back on the bed as I moved my hands over her strong shoulders, to tangle in her long mane of dark tresses, I needed to touch her, had to feel her lithe muscles tensing as she sucked at my breast, driving me insane with the fiery pleasure consuming me, abruptly she pulled back, I could've screamed in sexual frustration.

"What are you..." The words died in my throat as she moved lower, her tongue licking over my flesh, I arched into her as she cupped my hips.

"I love your taste...So sweet and hot. I could eat your pussy for hours" Her words were like a silken caress, I moved my hands to the sides and dug my fingers into the mattress as I felt her pull at the flimsy material of my thong, the cool air that greeted my dripping folds had my eyes fluttering closed as a ragged moan escaped my lips.

"Oh God..." I whimpered as Bella discarded my thong and urged me to spread my legs further, I bent my knees slightly, sweet Jesus the anticipation of feeling her skilful tongue working my clit was killing me, I could feel a dull ache blooming in my lower abdomen. I threw my head back and screamed as her tongue swiped between my sensitive lips, circled my swollen clit then moved down to tongue the entrance to my dripping pussy. She moaned, the sound made my pussy convulse as she began to teasingly thrust her tongue inside me, I writhed helplessly as my juices continued to spill from my pussy right into Bella's hungry mouth. It was pleasure so intense it almost hurt, I cried out desperately as she continued to pump her tongue inside me as deep as she could, I dug my fingers into the soft mattress beneath me as she drove me crazy with each expert twist of her tongue, if felt so damn good, feeling her fingers digging into my thighs, holding me still as she plunged her hot into my wet depths, I canted my hips up into her ravenous mouth as lustful moans burst from my lips.

"More..." I begged heatedly, she licked back up my wet slit and circled my throbbing clit, I groaned loudly, each lash of her tongue across my pulsing bundle of nerves was like a bolt of liquid fire coursing through my entire body I gasped at the sensation, my body tightened, I felt like I was drowning in the pleasure that washed over me. Torturous need clawed at my insides, making me feel as though I had been set on fire as Bella began sucking my clit. I reached downward and fisted my hand in her silky hair, I was dimly aware of the desperate cries falling from my lips as I bucked my hips up into her mouth, the hard and fast rhythm we fell into felt like so damn good, my eyes fluttered closed against the waves of ecstasy building up inside me, the pleasurable ache in the pit of my stomach kept building as Bella continued to work my clit, it was too much but at the same time I needed more.

"Bella...I need you...inside..." I wailed heatedly when I felt her press her fingers against the wet entrance to my pussy, my back arched as taut as a bow string when Bella quickly thrust, two of her long fingers inside me, forging through my tight inner muscles, the duel sensations of her tongue lapping my throbbing clit and her slender fingers pumping inside of me was too much. I bucked against her with quick thrusts of my hips, shuddering with each with each agonising thrust of her fingers, every flick of her tongue, I could hear myself crying out wantonly, it was accompanied with the sounds of her hungry moans and the wet sounds of my pussy greedily sucking her rapidly plunging fingers. The tension in my stomach was rising swiftly, pushing me towards the edge of oblivion.

"Fuck!...I'm gonna..." The hot pleasure was too much, too hard, too fast, I could feel my pussy clenching warningly around Bella's pounding fingers, each delicious thrust was sending me closer and closer to the edge of climax.

"Thats it baby...Cum for me" Abruptly she added a third finger to the two already fucking into me and curled them upwards finding that spot that guaranteed explosive pleasure, a loud scream erupted from me as I felt my pussy ripple around her fingers, my hips arched as wave after wave assaulted me, consuming me until it felt like the hot pleasure ripping through me paralysed my senses. I was shaking and moaning for what felt like hours until the intense sensation finally began to subside, my body suddenly felt numb as Bella continued to lick at my agonisingly sensitive slit gently, I whimpered weakly at the almost painful aftershocks of my orgasm, I couldn't even blink open my eyes as I felt Bella slide up my quivering body.

"Do you honestly think I'm done with you yet?" _That _made my eyes flutter open hazily, she was smirking in satisfaction as she looked down at me with a look that could only be described as starving. Despite the satisfaction thrumming through every inch of my body I could already feel myself responding to the scent of her arousal and the hunger in her eyes I had every intention of returning the favour...just as soon as I could feel my legs again.

**Aro's POV.**

"Evening Aro..." A sultry voice drawled from behind me, I whirled around quickly with a shocked gasp, I had been alone in the throne room, and Gianna hadn't announced any visitors nor had I been expecting anyone "...Your security is a little lax...wouldn't you say Peyral?" I backed away from the two beings standing in front of my only exit, fear crept up my spine like a serpent, I knew exactly what they were and I knew what they were capable of, not even a fae could stand against a member of the _Sicarii _and live, let alone the most proficient assassin the _Sicarii _boasted in their ranks and Peyral, the young man was responsible for the creation of Peyral ore, the only thing in the world that could contain any super natural creature, including fae.

"Alexia...Peyral" I greeted the two blonde _Sicarii _slowly stalking towards me, the woman, _Alexia, _stood at five-foot-eleven, the tight black combats and tank top she wore displayed her voluptuous body to perfection and accented her more than generous breasts and the seductive sway to her curvy hips, but I wasn't foolish enough to presume that the future leader of _Sicarii _was here for anything other than business, it was in her lifeless black eyes, and the fact that she'd brought her younger brother along with her only proved what I already knew, they wanted blood.

"I've never been one for politics...so lets just get down to business shall we?" I watched Alexia closely as she moved past me with an air of confidence surrounding her like a cloak, I didn't say a word as she climbed the three steps leading towards the three thrones, belonging to me and my brothers, she sat down slowly, the move was deliberate, I narrowed my eyes angrily, but what could I do, the woman sat on _my_ throne was bred to hunt and kill fae, but I had to admit, in all of my four thousand years on this Earth, Alexia might be the most beautiful woman I've ever seen with her sinfully curvy body, her flawless, golden complexion and aristocratic features, the most notable were her full lips that spoke volumes of what the seductive platinum, blonde was capable of in bed.

"I fear it isn't business on his mind sister" I flinched softly when Peyral's soft voice echoed through the chamber, he shared the same features as his sister but he lacked her grace and deadly purpose, but given the right instruction Peyral could become a skilful hunter, he reminded me of Alec in that regard. I turned to the side slowly keeping both Alexia and Peyral in my line of sight, a lone cat could only be too careful when lions had entered their domain after all.

"Well it soon will be...or I might be tempted to remind him exactly why the fae fear our very existence" She drawled in a lazy tone, that didn't bode well for me, I'd heard rumours of the _Sicarii's _tendency to become quite violent and unpredictable when they were board, frustrated or annoyed.

"Business...of course, what can I do for you?" I swallowed the rising lump in my throat when Alexia's jet black eyes fell on me, I shivered softly, an action she didn't fail to notice, I realised, when a cold smirk spread across her full lips.

"Its more of what we can do for each other..." Alexia smirked, why didn't I like the sound of that? "...Unlike myself, the less experienced _Sicarii _act like rabid dogs, add to the fact that they are extremely powerful and you get a very destructive mix..."

"I was under the impression..."

"Did I ask for your opinion?..." Alexia cut me off in a brisk tone, that arrogant bitch, what gave her the right to saunter into _my_ territory, into _my_ throne room, to sit on _my_ throne and interrupt _me, _I clenched my jaw tightly, I wouldn't make a scene...not now anyway, but I wouldn't stand for this "...If you know whats good for you...you won't interrupt me again..." Alexia hissed, I took an instinctive step backwards away from her, though I could feel Peyral standing close to me, he could deliver a great deal of damage, more than the average fae, he was after all a _Sicarii, _but at a mere twelve hundred years old, Peyral was little more than a child by my standards, I lowered my head stiffly, he might be a child but his sister sure as hell wasn't "...Good little vampire..." Alexia sneered insultingly "...Now then, I've heard that you desire the fae living in Alaska"

"They would be an invaluable asset" I nodded in agreement, Alexia laughed breezily, I ignored the demeaning sound, I'd return the gesture in kind soon enough, but certainly not now, I wasn't that stupid and after poor Edward, I certainly wouldn't tempt fate by insulting a being like Alexia.

"But surely Caius told you that he commissioned us to hunt down the fae" That disloyal son of a bitch!, I needed the fae if I was going to restore the power and prestige owed to me and how did Caius respond?, by hiring the fucking _Sicarii, _that coven of merciless killers, didn't Caius know that the _Sicarii _never stopped hunting target given to them, not even if their beneficiaries commanded it, they became obsessed with the hunt, never resting, never allowing themselves to become distracted and they never gave up "...However my father is willing to make a compromise..." I sighed in relief, perhaps I could bargain for the lives of the fae, then they would finally be mine to command "...You will provide us with at least five of your largest territories, and under no circumstance is a vampire allowed to enter without our expressed permission..."

"Done" I agreed eagerly, I couldn't believe this was happening, it was like a dream, at long last I would have my very own fae to serve me and hopefully a lasting alliance with the _Sicarii_.

"...What did I fucking say about interrupting me?..." Alexia growled, baring her teeth in an animistic gesture, I offered an apologetic smile, though it was hard not to image all the people who had received such a look before she killed them "...In return I will personally deliver the four fae living in Alaska into your 'care'...as for the rest of their pitiful race...no one will miss them" Alexia smirked, a cruel twist of her lips, it contrasted greatly with her angelic beauty.

"Deal..." I nodded quickly "...Can I ask why you need more territory, I me-"

"All you need to know is that we want more territory...and you better make sure we get it or you are going to make a very powerful enemy"

**TBC. . .**

**AN: And I'm gonna have to leave it there 'cause y'know as usual I gotta hit the books...fun :(, so anyways feedback is always appreciated, and in case you're wondering about Felix's mating situation, I think I'm either going to pair him with Demetri or Lucas, can't quite make up my mind about that, oh well I'm sure I'll figure it out by the next chapter, speaking of which, I'm not sure when I'll get the chance to update again because my exams are in a few months so of course I have to revise for them, and then theres my frigging teachers deciding that now would be a great time to throw the bulk of my coursework at me...its cringe worthy. Anyway 'till next time ;)**


	31. Chapter 31

Title: Coming Home

Pairing(s): Bella/Rosalie, Leah/Alice, Victoria/Esme, Tanya/Jasper, Emmett/Kate, Irina/Heidi, Alec/Seth, Jane/Jacob, Chelsea/Maria.

Rating: M.

Disclaimer: Nothing is mine it all belongs to Stephanie Meyer.

Summary: The Cullens left in new moon, Victoria changed Bella, together along with Seth, Jacob and Leah they've lived in Forks for over a century, what happens when the Cullens come back?.

**AN: Thanks for the reviews guys they mean alot. About Felix's mating situation, its going on hold for the moment cause I honestly don't know what to do with him even though I appreciate everybody's thoughts and opinions on that. So in this chapter, Akasha has a vision that prompts her into action, Tanya is feeling a little confused and ends up double teaming Kate with Irina, Chelsea and Heidi have a little bonding time in the most unlikeliest of places, and Rosalie and Bella have a little family time and I have a little surprise for all of you as well, but its a good surprise, I promise. So on with the update I hope you all enjoy ;D **

**Chapter Thirty One, Elena's POV.**

"You shouldn't have gone" I licked my lips nervously when Akasha appeared in the doorway of our shared study, she had a point, well she always had a point and I knew she only ever did things for the right reasons, but I couldn't help myself not when I had felt my daughter's pain like it was my own.

"I know" And I did, it had been a risky move after all anyone of the _Sicarii _could've been waiting for me to make the wrong move, I leaned back in my padded chair and glanced up at my mate, Akasha was wearing a pair of tight light grey nylon slacks that emphasised how long her endless legs were and the white tank top she was wearing ended at her naval displaying a delicious amount of her flawless skin, her long white blonde hair was left to frame her breath taking face, and the ends of her thick tresses touched the middle of her back, I titled my head to the side gently, her hair was even whiter than the top she was wearing, I smiled gently, when I saw her for the first time all those centuries ago I'd thought that she looked like a living, breathing Goddess and that was something that hadn't changed over the years we'd been together.

"...How is she then?" Akasha breathed gently, walking into our study with a monumental amount of grace, my breath caught in my throat as she came closer, her natural scent of freesia and jasmine came off her in waves, I swallowed and breathed in deeply, loving the way her almost unique scent caressed my senses with the same hypnotic effects that it always had done, I wonder how she'd react if I told her that our daughter had exactly the same natural perfume as my mate, probably with a sly grin and a question revolving around how Bella used the captivating aroma.

"Given the circumstances she looked good" I smiled as my Goddess perched herself on the side of the large desk I was sat at, I turned in my chair so I could be closer to her.

"But?..." I rolled my eyes, she'd always been able to read like an open book, most of the time I loved the fact that she knew me so intimately that she didn't even need me to tell her what I was thinking, and she knew what I was thinking I could tell from the way she was nibbling at her sculpted lower lip.

"You know what" I murmured quietly, she sighed raggedly in response as she crossed her arms over her generous breasts and her neon blue eyes darkened slightly.

"And you know its not safe for us to be near her" She replied, her melodious voice was laced with regret, the same regret I felt every day over leaving our baby with strangers.

"Baby her powers are very unstable" I commented gently, Bella wasn't the first fae to be able to control and manipulate fire, but I'd never seen someone be able to summon the element at such an early age, granted her inner fae had been in control when she'd used her gift, but that didn't change the fact that the average fae was normally about three hundred years old when they finally discovered their power.

"Do you think she's a risk to those vampires she lives with?" Akasha asked with an impossibly soft voice, I lowered my head gently, her power might be unstable but I honestly didn't believe my daughter was capable of hurting those closest to her and I couldn't lie to my mate about that, even if it would provide me with an opportunity to see Bella for the first time since I'd given her up, besides Akasha would see straight through the lie anyway.

"Not yet" I whispered honestly, I flinched gently when my chest seized painfully, if I didn't know any better I'd say that was my inner fae's way of punishing me for not pursuing a relationship with my daughter, I could only hope that one day both me and Akasha would be able to be a part of her life, though with every second that past, that possibility just seemed to be getting smaller and smaller and there was nothing I could do about it.

"Look at me _Mea_..." I tried to smile at the Latin endearment but I couldn't quite manage it, instead I felt Akasha's warm hand cup the left side of my face and slowly urge me to look up at her, I leaned into her soothing touch with a long drawn out sigh, our identical blue eyes locked quickly, I could read her expression as easily as she read mine even though to others it would seem that our faces were completely blank of thought or emotion, if only, the longing I felt for my daughter was almost as severe as a physical wound "...I'm not doing this to be cruel..." I couldn't contain the choked laugh that escaped my lips, Akasha was many things but none of them were cruel, especially not to me, that being said if anyone or anything threatened me, she gave sadism a new meaning "...I'm doing this because it is necessary to keep her alive, God knows she'd never be able to protect herself let alone her mate and her children if the _Sicarii ever found_ her"

"I know that, I just think we should give her the option" It always came back to this with us, I knew the instinct to protect those I loved very intimately, searching for the hidden threats to us was second nature to us both and it had been even before I gave birth to Bella, but what if by protecting her we were denying her something she needed, there were too many 'what if's' to actually consider them all.

"I know how much you need to be close to her, when I think about all of our lost years it makes me feel sick but she is happy, what more can we ask for?" Akasha slide off the desk and crouched in front of me.

"Is she happy though?" I countered uselessly, I almost laughed at the knowing smirk she gave me in response.

"We both know she is..." Akasha smiled sadly as she placed her hands on my toned jeans covered thighs "...And we are surviving, aren't we?"

"With her in our lives we could be living not just surviving" I retorted, I smiled gently when she growled in frustration, I couldn't count the amount of times we'd had this conversation over the years but it always ended with a stalemate, I couldn't convince her that we needed to be with Bella and she couldn't convince me that we needed to stay away from our daughter.

"You are so damn stubborn" Akasha accused, her eyes were burning with an all too familiar glow that I loved to look into.

"And you're not?" I smiled lovingly, earning me a breezy laugh that sent addictive shivers up and down my spine, I barely managed to hide my reaction to her.

"Fair point, but no one other than you can actually argue with me so technically I'm domineering" She grinned widely, I found myself returning the look automatically.

"Because that is a more attractive trait" I teased my love, as much as I wanted to continue my efforts in convincing Akasha to give a life with our daughter a chance, I didn't want to cause a rift between us in the process.

"Are you saying that you find it unattractive?" She retorted, rising to her feet gracefully and placing her hands on the armrests of my chair, I leaned back slightly as she moved closer to me.

"I never said that..." I pointed out, I was becoming so _very_ aware of how close she was to me and the proximity was quickly becoming intoxicating.

"Good because I don't think I could change it now after all these centuries" She breathed softly, I breathed in deeply as I felt her wedge herself between my knees as she rested her forehead against mine, I raised my hands and slide my arms around her neck, locking my fingers together behind her strong back.

"You don't have to change for me, I love you for who you are" I whispered gently.

"As I love you sweetness" I gasped gently when I felt her lips cover mine, even after all these centuries together she could still steal every ounce of my attention with a single kiss, I moved my lips against hers in a sensual dance we both knew the steps to, it wasn't long before our breathing grew heavy and my body grew heated, but there was no way I was going to let my mate make love to me in a chair, not after the last several dozen chairs that had been demolished in our desire driven frenzy.

"...Although it wouldn't kill you to do some dusting around here once in a while" I breathed against her sculpted lips, tampering down my need for the time being, I felt her lips drift up into a smile before she laughed heartily against me, I grinned slightly as she straightened up to her full height of an even six foot, she was over eight inches taller than me, but the difference was perfect for us and it made me feel even safer in her arms.

"Your wish will be granted...later, for now though I want to show you exactly how much I crave you" She extended her hand slowly, a seductive smile played at her lips, but the raw lust smouldering in her darkening blue eyes betrayed the image of self control she was trying to portray, I felt like I'd just had liquid heat injected into my veins, today was going to be a very, _very_ good day, but it could be better.

**Tanya's POV.**

"Good morning-" I grunted in response when Kate all but danced into the kitchen with a lazy smile plastered to her face, I was sat at the table debating what kind of bullshit I was gonna say to the school receptionist, seeing as all of us had more or less flipped off the idea of actually going to school anymore I was gonna have to spin one of those, 'we're moving to the other end of the country' stories, now of course I can manipulate pretty much anyone on the planet face to face, but on the phone, that was another story entirely "-Whats up sis?" Kate murmured with a concerned frown as she settled herself in the stool next to me at the island in our ludicrously big kitchen, the living room was still an absolute mess and so everyone except Carmen, Esme and Victoria had been given clear cut instructions to 'stay the fuck away', I smirked slowly, now I knew what I was going to do with myself today.

"Ouch! what the hell Kate?" I winced when Kate unceremoniously punched me in my upper arm, the blow created a loud resounding crack that echoed though the marble kitchen as if it were a cave, I turned my head and glared at my sister who was smiling at me innocently, dammit that stung like a bitch, I raised my free hand to return the favour when Irina appeared on the other side of the island, and guess what, she smiling like an idiot just like Kate, I rolled my golden eyes in irritation. This was so not fair, my sisters were all lovey-dovey and I was all on my lonesome, Jasper hadn't even come into our bedroom last night, it wasn't like we could sleep but I liked spending the night with his muscular arms wrapped around me tightly, surrounded by his warmth and his scent, it was _'almost'_ better than having sex with him, but then I wasn't getting much of that lately either was I?, oh no whatever Jasper was getting up to these days, it involved Emmett, Felix and the damn garage...oh Jesus that sounds so freaking wrong to me.

"Hey..." Irina greeted with a grin, it was creepy watching my normally cynical sister so, so...bubbly, I looked at her closely across the island for long seconds, she stared back at me with a smile tugging at her red lips.

"You had sex last night didn't you?" I asked bluntly, the sexy laugh that left my Irina's sculpted lips said it all.

"Honey I didn't even know I could bend that way" Irina sighed as her eyelids fluttered closed in satisfaction, I face planted the black marble in front of me in response, point proven, everybody is getting some but me, and I'm the sex crazed one around here or at least I was, damn Rosalie is gonna steal my title.

"Tanya whats up?" I felt Kate's comforting hand on my bare shoulder, I shook my head slowly against the cold marble making my long blonde hair fall over my shoulders effectively hiding my face from my sisters.

"Uh oh its sounds serious" Irina drawled sarcastically, I moved my head and glared up at my sister, though I could hear the concern in her melodious voice, so I really couldn't say much.

"Its just that um..." I pursed my lips gently, where should I start, I could tell me sisters anything, but sometimes I was a little reluctant to give them all the details, not because I thought they'd judge me but because some things were too personal, like now, I needed some help with the whole 'my mate won't spend any time with me', but did I really want to admit that, I mean I was the oh so confident one and saying things out loud made them real didn't it? "...Do I seem different to you?" I finally asked them with a soft wince, I regretted my word choices when Irina and Kate shared a worried look.

"Nope you're still the same old Tanya to me" Irina tried to come off as sarcastic but she only succeeded in making me feel like this was a really big deal, if I was still the same, then what had changed with Jasper that he wasn't near me like he used to be, I missed it, which was stupid because he hadn't frigging gone anywhere.

"Real smooth Ri..." Kate complemented earning her a dark look from Irina, great now I'd ruined their after glows, _nice one T, its bad enough you feel crappy today but now your sisters do too, keep sharing the love, see if you can get the same reaction from the others._

"Know what I'm just being dramatic..." I lied, while giving them a wide completely fake smile, and maybe I was, maybe Jasper just wanted to spend time with Felix seeing as the former Volturi guard was the only unmated member of our family and maybe it was easier with Emmett being there as well "...So then whats your opinion on the..."

"Can the Bullshit sis and tell us whats really going on" Irina growled as she crossed her arms over her chest, I opened my mouth but I quickly closed it again, I hate being put on the spot which was kinda funny 'cause I do it to the others all the time.

"Jasper is avoiding me and I don't know what I've done" I replied in a small voice, I straightened my back and waited for them to say something, I glanced at the individually when they remained completely silent, Irina had a look of pure concentration on her face and Kate looked...guilty?, what did she know that I didn't, I narrowed my eyes on her suspiciously, she shifted slightly under my piercing gaze.

"What?" Kate suddenly exclaimed, I smirked in response.

"Got something you wanna tell me?" I purred, she swallowed hard before she smiled at me in a 'I know whats going on and I'm not gonna tell ya' way, that little pain in the ass.

"Nope..." Kate stood up slowly "...And I'm pretty sure that there is something for me to do...outside..." I looked over my shoulder at Irina who was staring at Kate like she'd gone mad "...Laters" Kate spun on her heel and ran out of the kitchen leaving behind her unique scent that was so easily tracked. I shared a smirk with Irina as we doth slipped off our stools in perfect synch.

"I'm gonna go out the back door and cut her off" Irina announced slyly.

"And I'm going to follow her out the door" I decided with a smirk.

"Lets see who can catch her first" Irina purred competitively, I rolled my eyes slowly in response, all while I was making my way toward the kitchen door and she was moving towards the back, though our eyes remained on each other as we moved.

"Three" I counted with a smile, there was no way she was gonna get the better of me, I tensed my lithe body, getting ready to make my move.

"Two" Irina murmured with an identical smile.

"One...go" The word was barely out my mouth before Irina was lunging for the back door, I wasted no time in spinning on my heel, and running out of the kitchen as fast as could, I moved down the hall, past the construction site that was the living room, into the foyer and out the front door and into the snow covered gardens, I was dimly aware of passing Maria who was climbing into her silver SUV though she paused when she saw me, but I had no idea where she was heading, probably to the hardware store in town I imagined, after all Carmen could be quite the task master when there was work to be done and I knew for a fact that Maria had been trying to keeper distance from Chelsea all day.

"Where is the fire!" Maria called out after me in her light Spanish accent.

"Its gonna be up Kate's ass if she doesn't tell me whats going on with my mate!" I shot over my shoulder as I used the considerable strength in my hamstrings to propel myself as quickly I could toward the forest, I could detect a slight hint of Kate's unique scent lingering on the outskirts. I could hear Maria chuckling to herself as I leapt into the forestry.

**Rosalie's POV.**

"This one is going to be such a little diva when she grows up..." I looked up from my beautiful baby boy who was currently discovering the wonder that was bubble bath, his big blue eyes were wide with surprise or shock I couldn't tell but at least he wasn't crying which I took as a good sign. Bella was standing at he dressing table beneath the full length mirror across the bathroom, I smirked slowly, she was all but wrestling with Ashley who seemed beyond reluctant to abandon her baby vest, I sniggered to myself when I heard her release a high pitched giggle when she managed to tear her tiny hand out of Bella's grip "...Shh don't encourage her" I could hear the smile in my mate's voice though she was trying to look stern for Ashley's sake, yeah it so wasn't happening.

"You ah, want some help babe?..." I murmured, I felt the distinct urge to hide when Bella looked over her shoulder at me with an expression that I could only interpret as 'Don't rush me!' "...Okay forget I asked" I turned back to Lucas and grinned widely, he was kicking his little alabaster coloured legs around in the small amount of warm water in the bathtub, he was creating one hell of a mess, most of the warm water was splashing around and managing to slosh out of the bath, it was a good thing I didn't even like the white off the shoulder cashmere sweater I was wearing.

"We'll be there in a minute won't we princess?" Bella murmured to Ashley who squealed in response, I grinned down at Lucas when he looked up obviously trying to find his sister, one of my hands was supporting his golden head and keeping him above the water, with my other hand, I quickly lifted my little boy into a sitting up position, I kept my hand on his tiny chest so he stayed upright before I reached for the bottle of baby shampoo which was on the floor next to me.

"If you say so" I replied to my mate, picking the bottle up and checking it thoroughly, tearless formula and it was strawberry scented, I looked own at Lucas who was still trying to get a glimpse of his sister while happily kicking his legs around.

"I do say so...just as soon as ah ha...gotcha" Bella exclaimed triumphantly, she was suddenly beside me with a very naked Ashley cradled against her chest.

"And it only took you ten minutes" I smirked, as if to back me up Ashley laughed again.

"Ha ha next time you can take little miss 'I like making mom's life hell' and I'll take Lucas" Bella drawled with a smile as she crouched down beside me and carefully settled Ashley in the warm water so she could face Lucas, they both grinned at each other like they hadn't seen each other in days, if they could crawl they'd probably be hugging each other right about now.

"Bring it on babe. Me and Ash have already had a nice long conversation about bath time haven't we princess?" I smirked while using my thumb to flip open the shampoo bottle, I grinned when I felt Bella nudge me with her shoulder playfully.

"Oh yeah why do I suddenly get the feeling that was all planned?" Bella asked with a mockingly suspicious look on her beautiful face as she glanced back at the dressing table.

"I don't know what you mean" I defended myself while somehow managing to to pour some of the sweet smelling shampoo out of the bottle and into Lucas' golden hair, he glanced up at me with a look of pure contempt on his angelic face, I bit my lower lip to keep from smiling down at him

"Can you smell strawberries?" Bella suddenly as she daintily sniffed the air while holding Ashley's head above the water, abruptly she looked down at Lucas and then she glanced up at me, her neon blue blues were glowing with amusement.

"What?..." I shrugged helplessly, she arched her eyebrow at me slowly "...He doesn't care if he smells like strawberries or not" I murmured a little defensively, Bella didn't say anything she just stared at me.

"Yeah, uh huh...so why is he making that face" I looked down at our son slowly, he was still looking up at me with disbelieving eyes while I gently massaged his scalp with one hand.

"Oh just concentrate on your daughter will you?..." I suddenly growled, Bella chuckled slightly and reached out for a small pink sponge which was over to her right along with every baby bathing product know to man "...Besides when we get down stairs your aunties won't be able to resist you" I promised Lucas, though I really didn't like the idea of my baby boy surrounded by a horde of stunning women even if they were my sisters. But whatever at least he stopped looking at me in a 'Why are you doing this to me?' way, which kinda made me think he was going to be a complete horndog when he grew up, I almost felt sorry for the human population all of a sudden which was a first.

"Hear that princess? we made momma all flustered" Bella smirked to Ashley who just blinked a little in response, probably wondering what the hell Bella had just said to her.

"If you said 'we just crushed a fly with a spatula' would they know the difference do you think?" I found myself asking with a barely suppressed smile, I bit my lip to keep from laughing at my own crazy thought, I risked a look up at my mate to find her looking at me with a 'what the fuck' expression on her face, I burst out laughing suddenly, I didn't even know where in hell that came from, it must be left over hormones I decided as I blinked rapidly and tried to gain control over my uneven breathing which was a lot harder that normal.

"Rose what the hell?" Bella exclaimed incredulously.

"I'm having a moment okay?" I grinned uncontrollably, Bella looked like she didn't know whether to laugh or if she should get Eleazar to come check on me.

"Way to go kids, you're not even a week old yet and you've already driven your momma insane" I couldn't help but laugh when the twins looked wide-eyed at each other, they were saying 'holy crap' as clearly as body language could manage.

**Chelsea's POV.**

I heard Heidi coming towards me long before she actually joined me on top of the eighteen foot high garage, I'd been here since Carmen had told me Maria had gone into town, I had considered following my latina on foot just to make sure she was okay after yesterday but I didn't want to come off as stalker-ish. I was sat with my legs drawn up to my chest and my arms wrapped around my knees, I was dressed in a very short white strapless dress, I might of neglected to put on some shoes before I climbed up here and my waist length blonde hair was tied into a messy bun at the nape of my neck though a few rebellious tendrils had managed to escape their bindings and now brushed my my forehead, it was a good thing there was zero chance of any human's passing us cause it would be a little hard to explain my attire when it was about thirty degrees below freezing.

"So how did it go?" Heidi asked in cheery tone as she sat next down to me, I smirked when she made an annoyed sound in the back of her throat as her nylon covered butt sank into the thick layer of snow covering the garage roof, it was a good thing I remembered to put underwear on this morning, cause that would've been seven kinds of wrong and it would've been really uncomfortable.

"By 'it' I'll assume you mean my little trip with Maria?" I asked gently, looking our over the beautiful scenery in front of me.

"No I mean your trip from 'sane' to 'insane' I mean why would you want to sit up here in the snow when you're wearing a freaking dress..." Heidi complained, I turned and smiled at my descendant, she was grimacing in irritation beside me "...Of course I mean your date with Maria" Heidi drawled with a half-smile.

"First off it wasn't a date..." I corrected her, though my inner vampire snarled in denial at the mere thought, "...And it would've been perfect if she hadn't kept looking at me like she was scared I was gonna jump her" I winced slightly and barely resisted the urge to rub at the ache in my chest, I didn't like the thought that I scared her, but I couldn't bring myself to regret my actions, not when I knew she felt something for me, I could see it in her eyes whenever she thought I wasn't looking.

"Maybe you should..." I looked at Heidi and scowled softly, had she misheard me or something, I gotta admit there was a small part of me that wanted to jump Maria, wanted to tear every stitch of clothing off of her gorgeous body so I could worship every inch of her right before I sank my teeth into the crook of her neck, my entire body heated with the thought, would she scream or would she try to hide her moans of pleasure from me, would she writhe shamelessly beneath me or would I have to coax her into voicing her needs, I shivered in desire "...Someone likes that idea" Heidi chuckled knowingly beside me, I took a deep breath to calm myself but it was difficult, I craved Maria like a human craved oxygen and it was quickly getting to the point where I didn't trust myself not to say or do something a little 'provocative' around Maria. Like yesterday in the kitchen, I didn't know what was going through her head when I stalked toward her, but I could smell the heady scent of her blooming arousal, the instant her sweet aroma had hit me I'd wanted to tackle her to the floor so I could bury my tongue inside her, never mind there being an audience in the form of Tanya. Kate and Felix, I still would've tongue fucked her until she came for me, but the whimper of fear that had left her full lips had been like punch to the solar plexus, it had caused me to growl in frustration before I could stop it.

"A little too much..." I admitted distantly "...But thats not going to work" I sighed harshly.

"And why not..." Heidi murmured gently, I stayed perfectly still as she moved closer to me in the snow, even as I felt her arm snake around my slender shoulders, I leaned my head against her shoulder slowly "...It worked for Irina" Heidi purred, I smiled at the amount of admiration and love I could hear in Heidi's musical voice even if there was an undertone of lust there as well but that was to be expected.

"But Irina hadn't deluded herself into thinking the man she was in love with centuries ago was her mate" I sighed, I felt Heidi nod in agreement as her warm arm tightened around my shoulders comfortingly.

"Its gonna take time which really sucks for you more than anyone else" Heidi muttered.

"But it'll be worth it" I added, and it would, when I held Maria in my arms, I had no intention of ever letting her go so she was going to have to enjoy her freedom while she had it, not like I was possessive or anything, but I couldn't help it, there was a Maria shaped hole in my chest and I didn't ever want to feel this alone again, but neither could I force or pressure her into anything, I was just going to have to bide my time.

**Bella's POV.**

"Alrightie then lets take these two downstairs shall we?" I asked my mate when I finally finished getting little miss fidget butt AKA Ashley dressed in a little white baby vest and a matching hat that covered her adorable little ears, I smiled lovingly down at my little angel, who cares if shes a demon when it comes to changing, all I had to do was look at her angelic face and I forgot all about it, until the next time I had to change her that was.

"Mmmhm but lets keep them away from the living room I don't know what Carmen is up to down there but I'm pretty sure I heard a power drill earlier" Rosalie responded with a soft frown as she carefully slipped Lucas' hat onto his little blonde head.

"Y'know she'd probably stop when she sees these two" I pointed out, right now the twins were sprawled out on my and Rosalie's king sized bed, happily gurgling to each other.

"Yeah but I can just imagine what these two would get up to with a power drill in their sights" Rosalie smirked, I chuckled nervously as I stared down at the twins, yeah maybe she had a point, they looked too cute for them not to be planning something.

"I think I might switch the mains off when we get down there" I mused gently, as I scooped Ashley up into my arms, I smiled lovingly at her before I pulled her close to my chest, I cupped the back of her little head until I felt her rest against my shoulder.

"See now I'm worried because I was joking" Rosalie drawled as she lifted little Lucas into her arms.

"Yeah well we don't know if they're going to suddenly start crawling do we?" I murmured as I turned on my heel and made my way towards the bedroom door, which I'd left ajar from earlier, stepping out into the dimly lit hall I waited for Rosalie to join me.

"Do you think we should get Eleazar to look over them every now and then?" Rosalie asked with a concerned frown that I instantly wanted to smooth away.

"I don't think we need to but if it'll make you feel more comfortable..." I trailed off as we slowly made our way down the hall side by side with the twins cradled against our chests.

"No, they could start talking tomorrow and that would just make them that much more perfect" Rosalie smiled at me over the top of Lucas' head, I smiled lovingly in return.

"Not that they need any help in that department" I commented as we came to the grand staircase.

"No they don't-" Rosalie agreed as we walked down the stairs at a leisurely pace "-So about the Marcus thing" I sighed gently, I was wondering how long it would take for my bubble of bliss to get burst by the Volturi, even if it was inevitable, I wanted to get through at least one night of my life without having to think about what lay outside of the mansion.

"I told you I had a plan and I do" I reminded my mate as we walked down the hall towards the kitchen where I could already hear voices, it sounded like Victoria and Esme.

"Are you going to tell me what said plan is?" Rosalie asked gently.

"Yes" I answered simply, Rosalie scowled slightly but she didn't push for more details, if I didn't have Ashley in my arms I'd be sorely tempted to take my mate in my arms because I knew that my blunt answer had just irritated the hell out of her, but I didn't want to have to repeat myself over and over again, so I'd just wait until everyone was in the same room, which hopefully would be before me and Rose had to put the little ones to bed.

"Fine, you better tell me later though" Rosalie shot me a somewhat playful look.

"I promise" I swore easily as we stepped into the kitchen, Victoria and Esme were sat at the black marble island with a laptop open in front of them, they were browsing various websites looking for furniture.

"Afternoon" Esme smiled brightly as we took the stools opposite them.

"That time already?" I asked sheepishly.

"Uh huh" Esme smiled knowingly.

"Okay what is wrong with this picture-" Rosalie finally asked, I looked at her in question "-Vic is looking at furniture while you're scolding us about getting up late"

"Ooh looks like momma Esme is wearing the pants now" I teased slightly.

"I am here y'know" Victoria drawled, looking up from the white laptop for the first time in two minutes.

"Actually I already chose the furniture, V is just checking the measurements" Esme elaborated before her warm, motherly gaze fell on the twins, a slow smile spread across her ageless face when she found them looking back at her curiously.

"Yeah so you and me gonna have a little conversation about respecting one's maker...just as soon as I'm finished here" Victoria returned her attention the screen.

"Yeah I've heard that one before" I smirked cockily.

"Tone it down guys we already had to remodel one room in this house without having to do the kitchen as well" Esme ordered.

"Yeah and I don't need these two learning about that kind of stuff at this age" Rosalie added.

"Yeah you're right..." I smiled down at Ashley "...There will be plenty of time for that when you're older won't there princess?" I smiled when she giggled in what I assumed was agreement.

"Bella..." I felt Rosalie nudge my shin with her foot in warning, I turned my head and smiled brightly at the breath taking beauty that was my mate, even if she was glaring at me.

"I wouldn't do that" I said sarcastically, nah I wouldn't teach Ashley to kick everybody's ass, I'd just do it myself, I nodded in satisfaction, no one was ever going to be good enough for my little girl or my baby boy, and that is a fact.

"'Yeah I've heard that one before'" Victoria quoted perfectly, I glared at my mother slowly in response, the red headed vampire just smiled and shrugged though.

"Yeah and it was about fifty years ago, though I could be wrong 'bout that, my brain is still fried" I heard a familiar voice drawl from the doorway, though I hadn't heard it in quite a while, I turned to look at the doorway as did everyone else in the kitchen even the twins looked interested in finding out who the new comer was.

"Leah!"

**Akasha's POV.**

"I wasn't being serious" I didn't even look over my shoulder when Elena appeared in the door way to our spacious living room, she was dressed in an over sized light blue T shirt that came to the middle of her perfectly toned thighs, I stopped dusting the bookcase in front of me and turned around to face my petite mate, her long red-black hair was fell over her compact shoulders in thick waves.

"I figured as much, but after you passed out I needed something to do" I smiled smugly when she glared up at me playfully.

"Its not my fault you're insatiable" Elena growled gently, I chuckled gently as I slowly made my way across our living room towards my mate with slow deliberate steps.

"I wouldn't be if you weren't so damn gorgeous" I murmured quietly reaching out to grip her slender hips in my hands so I could pull her against me, I smiled down at my mate when I felt her arms snake around my waist in return.

"Flatterer" Elena replied, tucking her head under my chin easily due to our height difference.

"I merely speak the truth" I objected honestly, I felt her smile against the base of my throat, I tightened my arms around her waist and took long, deep breaths, inhaling her natural scent and concentrating solely on her body pressing into mine. As right as it felt, there was something deep inside me that constantly hissed that something was missing. I did miss Bella, there wasn't a minute that went by that I didn't think of my daughter, of what could've been if we'd kept her all those years ago, no doubt things would be utterly different, but at least we'd be together as a family. I clenched my eyes shut, there wasn't much point dwelling over that thought, if there was one thing I'd learnt over the seven millennia I'd been alive, it was that chasing ghosts was the one sure way of driving one's self insane, besides I might not have my daughter with me, but I had the primal satisfaction of knowing that I kept her safe from my enemies with everyday that past, that knowledge was what kept me from running to my daughter and begging her forgiveness for leaving her, as tempting as it was. Suddenly I felt a slow throbbing sensation at the very top of my spinal cord, I took a deep breath, I always got that exact same sensation a few minutes before I had a vision, my visions didn't come as quickly as a gifted vampire's would because mine would come to pass exactly how I'd seen them and they didn't change either, that was the very reason I never knew if I should call my power a 'gift' or a 'curse'.

"...Akasha?" I couldn't answer, the last thing I was aware of before my subconscious was literally torn out of my body was Elena's arms tightening around me and keeping me up right as my body went lax against hers.

_This was the part I hated most about my visions, I didn't just see the events happening, I got pulled out of my body and shoved into someone else's to witness everything that happened and I got to experience the emotions of whoever's body I got paired with. Glancing around quickly I found myself walking through a snowy forest, I couldn't hear the foot steps of the people behind me but I could sense that there was at least two others with the vessel I was inhabiting, walking over the snow covered ground though our footsteps made no noise whatsoever, but that wasn't what was bothering me, after all if I so wished I wouldn't make any noise walking over broken glass in combat boots, no that wasn't what made me shiver inside the body I was currently housed in, I couldn't feel any emotion at all, it was like I'd been tossed into an empty freezer actually a freezer would be like a sauna compared to this. Whoever's body I was in, they were emotionless, methodical, deadly almost like a fae but so much more lethal._

"_We're getting close" A feminine voice declared from behind me, it may be a woman behind me but she sounded about as welcoming as a territorial polar bear._

"_Thank you for pointing out the obvious" A soft masculine voice drawled from behind me as well, if I had been in my own body I would've frowned at the bout of affection I felt stirring inside the vessel I was inside, how could something so naturally cold suddenly have an ounce of warmth running through it?, they must be related or maybe even mated? but no, if they were mated they'd be closer together so they could protect each other if a threat arose. As the two behind me fell silent, I quickly glanced around my surroundings again, the vessel was moving at a languid pace, almost like a large lioness would in her territory, but I had a feeling this three people, were a long way from home._

"_There..." The vessel suddenly stopped, offering me a view of a large white marble mansion standing tall beneath a grey sky in the distance. I frowned softly, I knew that deceptively melodious voice, though I hadn't heard it over six thousand years, now it had a hard edge that hadn't been there before._

"_How do you want to do this Lexi?" The softly spoken male voice asked gently, coming to stand beside the vessel, he was slightly shorter than she was and his voice was considerably more welcoming, though I still wouldn't trust him to look after my dog if I had one._

"_I'm a creature of my word Peyral, we will deliver the fae to Aro as promised, as for those vampires..." Alexia laughed harshly, for the first time in over a century I felt fear, honest to the Gods, chilling, corrosive fear, I tried to focus on the scene before me, hoping to cling to it for a moment longer, but I couldn't, my maternal instinct was running wild inside me, urging me to break the connection so I could gather my mate and run to our child, it didn't matter to me how the _Sicarii's _most efficient killer had found my daughter, I just knew that I couldn't afford to keep my distance anymore, not when I knew exactly who was coming for her, I knew precisely what Alexia was capable of, I'd seen her victims beaten, mutilated, tortured and left for their nearest and dearest to find and what was worse she enjoyed what she did, I'd seen it myself, back when _Sicarii _and fae were the greatest of allies against any and all comers. All of a sudden, the white mansion in front of me began to distort, becoming blurry and jumbled until I felt myself being pulled out of the vision entirely, this was the part I hated most, it felt like I was being poured down a narrow tube and back into my body..._

I came back to myself with a jolt that almost had my knees buckling, I hated this part, my entire body was shaking, I was breathing shallowly for no good reason and I felt sick to my stomach, _Alexia, _if they had sent anyone but Alexia I might stand a chance of stopping them before they got to Bella and her family, I laughed humourlessly, I had more chance of reviving all of my fallen fae than stopping the future leader of _Sicarii_.

"What did you see?" I blinked lamely, Elena was still supporting most of my weight so I tried to steel my wobbly legs so give her some relief but I was worse than a new born deer, finally after long minutes of fumbling around I was taking most of my own weight once again though my mate's secretly strong arms remained wrapped around my waist offering silent support.

"...Fucking Alexia" My voice was annoyingly hoarse, but it was a normal side effect of my 'gift' and one I had stopped complaining about a long time ago. I winced regretfully when I felt Elena go absolutely ridged against me, I had tried my best to shield her from the life I used to life before I found her, but I hadn't been able to stop her finding out about Alexia.

"Bella?" Elena murmured quietly, I lifted my head gently and glanced down at her, her eyes were darkening rapidly with worry.

"We gotta go to her...now" There was no telling when my visions would come to pass but eventually they would, they always did, but I refused to do nothing while a nightmare from my past came for my child.

**AN: So yeah Leah is back but Seth and Jacob are gonna be out for a little bit longer for reasons that will make sense in the next chapter, speaking of which, in the next chapter Jasper might propose, Maria and Chelsea find themselves in a 'predicament', Leah plays catch up with recent events, and Bella comes face to face with her parents for the first time, I wonder whats gonna happen there then? ;). Til next time guys.**


	32. Chapter 32

Title: Coming Home

Pairing(s): Bella/Rosalie, Leah/Alice, Victoria/Esme, Tanya/Jasper, Irina/Heidi, Emmett/Kate, Alec/Seth, Jane/Jacob, Chelsea/Maria.

Rating: M.

Disclaimer: Nothing is mine except Ocs, everything else belongs to Stephanie Meyer.

Summary: The Cullens left in new moon, Victoria changed Bella, together along with Seth, Jacob and Leah they've lived in Forks for over a century, what happens when the Cullens come back?.

**AN: I'm really sorry about the long wait, as usual I had lot of work on and I know I'm always saying that but its the truth, at least its Easter though right, I get some free time away from school work, not much mind you. Anyway, moving on, in this chapter, Maria and Chelsea have a moment, you get a little insight into Peyral and Alexia's background, Esme and Carmen have a 'dispute' over the living room's décor, while Leah plays catch up with recent events and finally Bella meets the 'rents. I hope everyone enjoys ;D **

**Chapter thirty Two, Bella's POV.**

"They're really beautiful-" Leah announced with a small smile, I sighed and nodded my head in agreement with my sister, we were sat at the black marble island in the kitchen, the twins were in identical high-chairs, I smirked helplessly, they were looking at Leah with open curiosity and every so often their nostrils would twitch, clearly my Ashley and Lucas wanted to know what their aunty Leah was, well it was too freaking bad, I knew my sister would never ever hurt my children but damn I was not risking a six-foot-six , three hundred and fifty pound pound wolf getting anywhere them, until they were old enough to totally kick Leah's butt anyway "-Something they obviously get from Rose" I reached over towards the fruit bowel Esme had set out on the island when Leah had finally ventured out of her room for the first time in two weeks, my fingers closed around a colourful orange, I lifted it slowly and tossed it at Leah teasingly, it sailed through the air effortlessly before she caught it mid flight in one hand, I smirked as Leah grinned playfully and she began peeling it with her long slender fingers.

"Keep your eyes on your own mate sister" I warned, I knew she was just messing around but I definitely didn't like the thought of anyone, not even the woman who had been my sister for over a hundred years, looking at my Rosalie with anything other that respect and maybe a little fear, after all Rosalie could be a very intimidating woman when she wanted to be, but admiration and lust, big no, no. I tilted my head slightly when I heard a faint humming noise, I found myself looking at my gorgeous children, they were purring so adorably and their neon blue eyes were shinning brightly.

"Aww" Leah drawled, I rolled my eyes even though I knew I did the same thing each and every time Ashley and Lucas did something new, and for Leah it was.

"Yeah..." I sighed happily, there had never been a time that I had felt more complete than I did right now, I had the most stunning, intelligent, funny woman on the planet as my mate and together we had created the most amazing children, I guess every parent likes to think that their children are unique and they probably are, but Ashley and Lucas are like little rays of sunshine, and we were all going to need a strong symbol of purpose for what I had planned, the next couple of weeks were going to be hard, and I wasn't going to lie to myself and say they were gonna be like a walk in the park, as far as I knew no one had ever taken on the Volturi and lived to talk about it which was a shame because I could really use some helpful tips or maybe a 'How to' book on the subject, I snorted to myself while Leah happily started eating the orange I had tossed at her, I smiled fondly, I'd forgotten how much shifters eat, Leah had already eaten her way through most of the fridge's contents, and our fridge wasn't small, I titled my head slightly, Leah did look like she'd lost a lot of weight over the past couple of weeks, I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from smirking, non-stop sex with your soul mate, now that is a work out session that everyone wants.

"So where is Rose?" Leah murmured after she'd finished consuming her piece of fruit, she stood up slowly and picked up all of the orange peels in one hand and deposited them in the trash can just off to the side by the counter.

"Um Carmen and Esme were arguing over what colour the carpet should be so V asked Rose to play peacemaker" I shrugged, frankly I thought it would be kinda funny to watch Esme and Carmen try to kill each other with all the hardware scattered throughout the living room.

"Can you imagine Esme strangling Carmen with a tape-measure?" Leah drawled with a grin, I laughed gently, yeah I could imagine it, if there was one thing you didn't wanna mess with Esme on, it was interior design.

"I heard that!" Carmen's lightly accented voice echoed from the living room into the kitchen, I shared a amused grin with Leah.

"Don't get your panties in a twist Carmen, they're right, I would kick your ass. Especially if you don't give in and let me have the hand-made Egyptian press" Esme's voice rang out clearly, I suddenly had the urge to pick the twins up and find a table to hide under, which was ridiculous.

"It won't go with the colour scheme!" Carmen insisted loudly.

"Well change the damn colour scheme it won't even take two minutes!" Esme insisted.

"To what exactly?" Carmen hissed.

"Well I haven't really...Seashell white for the walls, papaya whip for the drapes and maybe a little ivory here and there, oh and we are gonna need new furniture" Esme said, and for some insane reason I knew my mother was smiling or maybe smirking cockily.

"Its going to look like one of the twins puked in here" Carmen declared as Esme finished.

"Hey don't use my babies as tools in your décor crisis" Rosalie finally interrupted in her mesmerising voice. I looked at the Ashley and Lucas slowly, they were looking back at me closely as if to say, 'what did we do and how can we make it worse', I grinned lovingly, my little hell-rasiers.

"You're right Rose, just lock her in a titanium closet and I'll get to work" Esme concluded.

"That is it you're both out of here, Alice is going to finish the living room and I'm going to be with my mate and our children because you two are driving me crazy!" Rosalie exclaimed. I straightened my back as I heard Rosalie's footsteps coming towards the kitchen, I smiled adoringly when I caught the faintest trace of her delicate scent of crushed rose petals and suddenly she was there, standing in the doorway dressed in a pair of tailored black slacks, white four inch heels and an off the shoulder lavender sweater and her long blonde hair was left to frame her beautiful face, my chest tightened like it always did whenever my eyes landed on my soul mate, suddenly the day seemed impossibly brighter.

"They are worse than toddlers at pre-school" Rosalie announced in her melodious voice, I smirked and slid off of the stool I had been occupying, I extended my hand out towards Rosalie, the resulting bolt of electricity that passed through her warm skin into mine was intoxicating, I quickly urged her onto the stool in front of me, I inhaled deeply as she moved closer to me, my eyelids fluttered closed as she sat down on the stool, the twins gurgle happily when she reached over stroke the sides of their angelic faces.

"I thought it was pretty funny" Leah commented, standing up and roaming around the kitchen, probably in search of food again. I rolled my neon blue eyes slowly as I slowly rested my hands on Rosalie's tense shoulders, I dug my fingertips into the coils of perfect muscle, the soft groan of pleasure that left her flawlessly sculpted lips would've given me some pretty dirty thoughts if the twins hadn't been in the room.

"Yeah but you also thought the entire Saw collection was the comedy of the year back in the day" I replied as I massaged Rosalie's shoulders, I loved the little sighs and moans she was making.

"Right you saw number six right, that whole 'babe I think we're breaking up with you' bit, only a complete douchebag wouldn't find that funny" Leah stated like it was the most obvious thing in the world, I shot her tame glare as my nimble fingers continued to massage Rosalie's tense shoulders, I couldn't wait to hear Ashley and Lucas' first words in angelic voices just like their momma's but I could do without those words being 'douchebag'.

"Come to think of it I might of laughed" I admitted begrudgingly, as Leah pulled the fridge doors open and pulled out a shed load of sandwich stuff, jeez if she was going for the world's biggest monster sandwich then I think she just won, hands down.

"Yeah thats because you're not a total douchebag anymore" Leah announced as she started putting her 'little' snack together.

"Thanks sis" I drawled sweetly, kneading Rosalie's shoulders and the slender, graceful column of her neck, I smiled as she leaned back into my touch and sighed contentedly.

"You're welcome Bells" Leah retorted in an equally sarcastic tone as she set her massive sandwich onto a near-by chopping board and rummaged around in the white kitchen draws to find one of the few knives we owned. I chuckled lightly, I had forgotten how much I liked trading barbed yet mocking comments with my sister, though she lacked the wit of my mate, like everyone did, it was still fun.

"So when will Seth and Jacob be joining us again?-" Rosalie asked in a blissfully relaxed voice, I ceased my skilful ministrations but I let my hands linger of her compact shoulders, I leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to the top of her gloriously blonde head, she instantly tilted her head to the side and then back, our faces were mere inches apart, it was like I was staring a Goddess in her astonishingly beautiful face, the close proximity made me feel light headed, that was something only Rosalie could do to me, I smiled as our identical neon blue eyes locked "-Thank you, I needed that" She breathed gently, her voice was like music to my ears, music that sunk into every fibre of my being until the core of who I am was singing in a flawless symphony and it was all for her.

"I know" My smile grew wider all on its own, I loved moments like this, when time seemed to slow, finally letting me have a moment of perfect harmony with my mate.

"Maybe today, I don't really know and I'm not shifting to find out-" I heard Leah say sternly as she came back over to the island with her sandwich. I sighed regretfully as I leaned forward quickly and captured Rosalie's sculpted lips in a tender kiss, if I had a heartbeat, it would have been pounding furiously in my chest, as she moved her lips against mine sensually "-I'd probably get an eyeful of Seth and Alec which is just nasty" I couldn't contain the laugh that bubbled out of my chest as Leah shuddered in sisterly disgust, I felt Rosalie grin in amusement against my lips. Rosalie returned her attention back to Leah and the twins, who were watching us inquisitively, I smiled back at them when they grinned sweetly, they were developing dimples, it was going to be so hard to tell them 'no' in the future.

"I forgot you guys had telepathy" Rosalie commented, I rested my head on top of hers, inhaling her intoxicating scent deeply, I felt overwhelmed but at the same time soothed by the soft aroma that clung to Rosalie's flawless skin.

"Yep, always have and always will. I can't decided if its a good thing or a bad thing though" Leah mused as she took a healthy bite of her food.

"For what I got in mind concerning the Volturi its gonna be a good thing" I interjected, I nuzzled the top of Rosalie's head comfortingly when I felt her stiffen against me.

"We're finally gonna take those basta-clowns down?" Leah smiled at the twins who were looking cheekily up at her, clearly they had wanted aunty Leah to slip up, I nodded thankfully when Leah looked back at me with her impossibly dark eyes.

"Mmmhm and when Ashley and Lucas are settled for the night, I'll tell everyone what I've got in mind" I promised, speaking more to Rose than I was to Leah, I knew my mate was still a little apprehensive about the whole thing, and I would do anything to calm her.

"Halle-freaking-lujah!-" Tanya exclaimed walking gracefully into the kitchen, flanked by a smirking Irina and a wincing Kate, I frowned slightly noticing that what little clothes they were wearing were shredded and a bit damp, like they'd been wrestling in the snow, I shrugged, it was pretty normal for them to fight and I had gotten used to them randomly slapping each other for no apparent reason "-This mean I can call gramps?, I miss our conversations" Tanya grinned playfully, I nodded slowly, watching as Tanya wrapped her arms around Irina and Kate's slender shoulders, bringing them closer to her, I smirked, Irina was rolling her golden eyes while Kate's had grown a little wide as Tanya forced them to walk out of the kitchen clamped to her side.

"Right I know its not possible but is Tanya drunk?" Leah whispered quietly so that the vampiress in question wouldn't hear her.

"Oooh Esme has Carmen in a head lock!-" Tanya exclaimed loudly from out in the hall, Leah chuckled slightly before she leapt to her feet and ran out of the kitchen, I laughed slightly in usion with my beloved "-Who has a camera?"

**Peyral's POV.**

I wasn't surprised when I walked into Alexia's room to find not one but three naked female Volturi guards sprawled out on her four poster bed, the royal purple sheets had found themselves kicked onto the marble floor at some point during my sister's 'playtime' with the vampires along with the pillows, the musky scent of sex hovered in the air and I couldn't help but notice that the three vampires were undeniably beautiful, I closed the door to my sister's room in the Volturi compound, there wasn't much point in doing so, the guards that Aro had shadowing me would probably have their ears glued to the door at this very moment but at least the three women basking in the aftermath of Alexia's considerable skills wouldn't be able to move or remember their own names for a few hours minimum.

"Morning baby brother" I turned to look at the door leading to the _en suite, _through the haze of thick steam, I could clearly make out my sister lounging against the doorway, dressed in a revealing black silk robe that contrasted deeply with her long mane of thick white blonde hair, the colour of moonlight, the luxurious tresses ended just below her backside, hence the French braid she normally sported, at present her long mane hung loose and it was dampened from her recent shower.

"Morning sister-" I almost smiled, but the cold look in her jet black eyes stopped the impulse, Alexia only looked like that when she wanted to kill, which granted was all the time, but this was different, Alexia was always pissed but the way her tall, slender frame was tensed, the air of lethality that clung to her, and those dark eyes, it was like looking into a black pit of nothingness "-Whats wrong Lexi?" I crossed my elegantly muscular arms over my broad chest as she stalked closer to me, she looked like a lioness on the hunt.

"I hate it when presumptuous bastards send 'gifts' to buy favours is all" Alexia smirked as she looked past me at her most recent conquests, her eyes remained cold and emotionless, I raised my hand and pinched the bridge of my nose between my thumb and forefinger, I knew Alexia would swiftly find a way to pick a fight with Aro, it was in her nature after all, well the nature of all Sicarii, violence was to us what technology was to humans, a vital necessity.

"But you took him up on his offer" I moved my hand away from my face, my solid gold Rolex gleamed in the dimly lit room as I returned my hand to my side.

"Tell me brother, could you resist if you came into your room to find these sexy little vampires ready and willing?" Alexia raised a delicate platinum blonde eyebrow and grinned, baring her perfect white teeth in a predatory gait, her longer than normal canines just added to the effect as they gleamed dangerously in the soft light.

"Probably not-" I conceded with a sigh "-I don't suppose they let something slip while you slipped them something else" I drawled, Alexia took a deep breath and growled huskily, more than likely remembering each and every sound and sensation of the past few hours, judging from the way her lips curled into a sultry smile, it had been one hell of a night for my sister.

"Apparently both Caius and Marcus have been displaying some very odd behaviour towards our host as of late" Alexia relayed, I frowned gently, what was she up to?, I knew my sister, and there wasn't a doubt in my mind that she intended to raise some serious hell for the Volturi before we left, but I just wished I knew exactly _what_ she was planning.

"And how do you know these three weren't sent here by Aro to try and get some info outta you?" I murmured thoughtfully, the chances were slim, hell even I wouldn't dare to even think about messing with Alexia, if I did something that jeopardised our hunt, Alexia wouldn't hesitate to give me a lesson that I would never, ever forget, but she wasn't totally unfeeling, contrary to popular belief, if I fucked up in a task set for me by her, it would be our sibling bond that spared my life, if it were someone else however, I shuddered inwardly, it didn't bare thinking about.

"Do I look like a youngling to you?-" Alexia snapped, her short temper heating hazardously, though strangely enough her black eyes remained as cold as ice, I lowered my head submissively, perhaps I shouldn't have questioned her, she was after all seven thousand years old, give or take, making her almost six thousand years my elder, she knew how to play the game of diplomacy even better than our father, the leader of our kind, for now, it wouldn't be long before Alexia grew tired of following orders from a senile old man, gone way past his expiry date, even I hated the bastard and I was the more reasonable sibling "-Sorry-" Alexia breathed gently "-So why are you here little brother?" Alexia asked with a little warmth, it reminded me of when I was a youngling, little more than four years old, I would always follow Alexia around in my ungraceful stagger, trying to catch her attention and approval while she tried at every turn to discourage the admiration that every young sibling feels for their elder, both had proved difficult to acquire, but that had changed when my mother had been killed. My father had quickly spiralled out of control, attacking everyone who came near, including me, but Alexia hadn't, she became like a mother to me, as well as my sister, my mentor and my best friend. But things had changed over time, now even she was beginning to pull away from me, and it was all because of that bitch Akasha.

"I just wanted to talk" I would've blushed in shame if I could have, I knew I wasn't as hard as _Sicarii_ were suppose to be, after all I was over a thousand years old and I had never completed a lone hunt, to be considered a true member of the _Sicarii_ one had to successfully hunt down a target of great worth, kill them and return to the fold to bask in the knowledge that they had just become an active and accepted member of the most vicious beings alive, I didn't even feel the urge to hunt, not even a little, I was far more interested in science and literature, and that made me an anomaly among my kind, I'd seen Alexia been reduced to a shaking, uncoordinated mess in a matter of days if she couldn't find an outlet for all the rage we _Sicarii _harboured inside us, but who was I kidding, I was a _Sicarii _by name only. I sighed gently, but after this hunt I would earn something that should've been my birthright, a home.

"You're worried about hunting the fae aren't you?" Alexia mused, coming to stand beside me so she could wrap her toned arm around my shoulders, an easy move for her as she was an inch or two taller than I was, but then I wasn't fully grown yet.

"What if I fuck it up?" I whispered to her, she couldn't understand my fears, how could she when she was a legend upon our kind and she had been since she was eleven when she completed her first hunt, against a former leader of the _Sicarii, _our own grandfather, no one had been able to compete with her achievement, it would be insane to try, after all our grandfather had been considered an unbeatable titan among our kind, he was the one who first united the clans.

"We share the same blood Peyral, I know what you're capable of, you've gotta believe in yourself if you are ever going to look father in the eyes when we go home" Alexia tightened her hold on me comfortingly, I smiled at her softly, even if she was the most brutal assassin in the world, she was my sister and I loved her.

**Rosalie's POV.**

"Rosalie Lillian Hale Cullen!" I arched a delicate eyebrow at Alice when she burst into my and Bella's bedroom with Leah close on her heels, she winced slightly when she found the twins looking up at her with wide blue eyes, I was curled on my side, all but wrapped around Ashley and Lucas on our bed while Bella stood at the end of our rectangular shaped bedroom near our seventy two inch flat screen, trying to decided what DVD to to play for the twins, I glanced at my mate questioningly, Bella smirked as she crossed her arms across her chest and waited for the pixie to make her point.

"What did I do?" I asked bewildered, I shrugged when Alice's golden coloured eyes landed on me and narrowed gently, I instinctively wrapped my free arm around my twins, I was supporting my head with my other hand, I had also placed our pillows around them just to make sure they didn't manage to roll off the bed, I didn't really think it was necessary but I was about to take any chances with my young.

"I love you" Alice sighed, I snorted gently and rolled my eyes as Alice came further into our bedroom, she looked at the bottom of the bed clearly asking permission before she sat down, I rolled my eyes again, before I nodded and bent my legs at the knee bringing them up towards my backside, leaving enough room for both Alice and Leah, who was currently closing the door behind her. I smirked when I heard a low rumbling sound emitting from the bottom of the room, Bella could still be wonderfully possessive, even more now that we had Ashley and Lucas to look after.

"In a sisterly way" Alice said to both Bella and Leah, the tall shifter was pursing her lips slightly in thought.

"Babe we just spent the past two weeks entwined I am perfectly comfortable with you saying you love other people...don't make a habit of it though or I might bite you" Leah growled with a wicked grin, before sauntering over to Bella.

"Is it wrong that I can both picture and _feel_ it already?" Alice murmured with a dreamy smile to me as she sat down beside me.

"Whoa! keep it PG sister or I'll be doing the biting and I can grantee you won't enjoy it" I warned, and I was only half serious, my children would remain as innocent as they were now until they were ready to find mates of their own, I bit my sculpted lower lip in thought, a house with Tanya and two very young children, oh God Ashley and Lucas were going to total players by the time they were two, lovable players, but still.

"Hey the only person you'll be sinking your teeth into is me, when these two are gone and Ashley and Lucas are asleep" Bella interjected in a stern voice, I licked my lips slowly, watching as her pupils dilated and her stunning neon blue eyes darkened.

"I thought you just said keep it PG Rose" Alice's hand connected with my toned thigh in a ringing slap that I hardly felt.

"I didn't say anything" I pointed out innocently, while keeping my eyes firmly trained on my mate, Bella was trying to talk to Leah, she wasn't having much use though, she was shifting from side to side so subtly I don't think anyone other than me was noticing how tense she'd grown.

"Yeah uh huh-" Alice said in disbelief "-Anyway thank you for laying down the law with Esme and Carmen, those two were turning the living room into a complete disaster" Alice announced, I stayed silent after all I couldn't judge, other than this morning I hadn't been in the living room since I destroyed it, and thanks to Esme and Carmen I hadn't actually gotten the chance to look around, I still had to apologise for the damage I caused anyway, I knew my meagre first few attempts hadn't quite done the trick to smooth things over with Carmen yet.

"Surprisingly enough I only did it because I didn't want to explain to Eleazar that his mate was killed in a freak accident involving her, Esme and wood shredder" I joked, earning me a breezy laugh from the pixie, I grinned when I suddenly heard the twins laugh along with their aunt, it sounded like wind chimes.

"Aww its nice to see you're still self centred" Alice drawled sarcastically, I forced a laugh in response.

"'Self centred', when have I ever been...don't answer that actually-" I decided when Alice opened her mouth to answer me "-How can I be self centred anymore when they are my world, all three of them" I smiled lovingly, when I caught Bella's eyes brighten like fireworks in a jet black sky while she chatted away with Leah.

"I know exactly what you mean Rose-" Alice nodded in agreement "-So what do you think about cherry-wood furniture, crimson coloured walls and maybe a lighter shade of red for the drapes and such ooh maybe a maroon" I looked down at Ashley and Lucas while Alice started batting around ideas out-loud, the twins were staring up at Alice with a mysterious twinkle in their eyes.

"So long as you've the one at the helm I'm sure you are gonna hit gold Ali" I drawled gently while I leaned down to nuzzle my children adoringly, the gurgled and giggled loudly while I felt a loud purr rumble from deep in my chest, I chuckled breezily when Ashley lifted her tiny hand and pressed it against my lips, she shook her little head and squealed happily as I peppered quick kisses to her small, soft palm. I leaned over and pressed a soft kiss to Lucas' forehead, he was smiling softly.

"I'm feeling a little left out right now" I lifted my head and looked over my shoulder to find Bella and Leah had paused their conversation to look at us.

"You want us, come and get us" I teased before I returned my attention to the twins, I didn't have a second to even blink before I found Bella curled around me from behind, I instinctively moved back into the strong warmth of Bella's curvy body, I sighed gently as Bella snaked her toned arm around my waist tightly, splaying her long slender fingers across my flat stomach.

"I'm always gonna come and get you baby, no matter where you try to hide" My breathing hitched softly as she pressed her velvety lips to my neck softly, I titled my head back to look up at her, sparks flew as our eyes met, if my heart actually beat it would be thundering loudly in my ears as I started up at my beautiful mate.

"Now why would I want to hide from you?" I whispered softly.

"Probably because you have no birth control, and Bella is a total..." Leah stopped mid-sentence when Bella cleared her throat "...Gentlewoman" The shifter shrugged her strong shoulders and smirked helplessly.

"Thanks Lee" I didn't have to see her face to know Bella was scowling at our sister.

"Yeah 'thanks' for reminding me I want a football team-" I grinned at Alice when I felt Bella stiffen behind me, the pixie smirked and shifted closer to her own mate while mine practically hyperventilated in my ear "-When these two are a couple of centuries old of course" I finished slyly, I grinned when Bella relaxed behind me with a loud sigh, Alice and Leah laughed in response.

"And I don't get a say in that?" Bella asked, drawing lazy circles on my cashmere covered abdomen with her fingertips.

"Nope" I decided quickly, I nodded to myself as the Ashley and Lucas' gurgled their own response to that.

"I love it when you take charge of our sex life babe" Bella drawled, I reached around to pinch Bella's denim covered thigh playfully, earning a seductive laugh from my beloved.

"Put it away you two-" Leah instructed while Alice climbed into her lap and regarded the two of us thoughtfully "-So can we talk about the last two weeks, because I'm just dying to know why Tanya looks like shes ready to jump Jasper"

**Chelsea's POV.**

"I'm going hunting" I announced suddenly as I rose up onto my feet with elegant grace, along with Heidi and Irina, I had been sat on the stairs leading up to the front door to the mansion.

"Again?" Heidi exclaimed sitting up straight, Irina was sat on the third to top step with her back resting against the railing and Heidi had been sat between Irina's slightly spread thighs with her back pressed against Irina's well endowed chest.

"There a problem with that?" I asked my descendant while raising my delicate blonde eyebrow, Heidi opened her mouth to answer me, probably with some sarcastic remark regarding my age, I rolled my golden coloured eyes and placed my hands on my curvy hips, today I was wearing black silk slacks and clung to my hips tightly, red opened toed high heels that added a good five inches to my petite size of five foot three, and a very tight, black, sleeveless turtle neck. I'd chosen to wear black today because it contrasted brilliantly with my pale complexion and golden blonde hair, not to mention it suited my mood, it had been two days since Maria had spoken to me, a whole forty eight hours since I had heard her awe-inspiring, melodious voice with her light Spanish accent that sent addictive shivers trailing up and down my spine and made my knees tremble.

"Nah you're just hunting a lot lately" Heidi commented lamely as she leaned back into Irina's embrace.

"Its taking me a while to get used to the new diet" I lied in a silky smooth voice that would've convinced anyone, except Heidi, that I was telling the truth, hell she used it herself.

"Understandable" Irina murmured as she wrapped her arms around Heidi's waist and rested her chin on her mate's shoulder, Heidi turned her head slowly and smiled mysteriously before the two kissed tenderly, I dug my fingers into my hips as I watched them, I wanted what they had so badly.

"I'll be back soon" I muttered as I turned on my heel and stalked out towards the forest with a determined stride, that was considerably faster that that of a human, I could feel my lithe muscles tensing and relaxing with each footstep, the soft snow was crunching beneath my heels as I came closer and closer to the edge of the forest. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply as I passed into the snow splattered forestry, there was something every pleasant about the change in fragrances and the sounds. I tensed slightly and took off at a light run, but I still wouldn't be visible to the human eye, a wide variety of trees flew past me as I raced by with no particular destination in mind, the bitter wind tore at as best it could at my tight clothes, my waist length blonde hair was tied back in a single tight braid, the coiled length billowed out from me as I steadily moved faster and faster, after a time I halted my breathing all together, effectively casting aside my human façade and giving way to my animalistic side, I smiled gently, I loved it when I didn't have to measure each and every action before I made it, it was unbearably frustrating to pretend to be something I wasn't, like I was right now, I had to act like Maria wasn't the reason I was on this Earth, the reason that I still existed all because some selfish prick had let her think that they were mates, a loud growl erupted from my chest as I continued running, of course I would always be grateful to the man who had found my mate and made her immortal so that I had the chance to find her, I owed him everything for that, but I couldn't still the instinctive jealousy that rose up in my chest and threatened to strangle me with it's intensity, a part of me would always hate Rodrigo because he had Maria first and he _still _had a part of her. I skidded to a sudden stop as the trees gave way to a cliff overlooking the brilliant blue sea and the dull grey sky, I dropped into a crouch a few feet way from the steep edge, I was being pathetic, harbouring so much hate for a man who was dead, and had for a long time. I took several long, deep and calming breaths, closing my eyes and focusing on reviving and returning respiration to normal.

"Chelsea!..." Maria's melodious voice called out to me, my head snapped up as my mate's footsteps grew louder and her sweet aroma drifted towards me, demanding the complete attention of my body, mind and senses "...Chelsea" She repeated in a much softer tone, I clenched my jaw trying to still the sounds of raw desperation that wanted to fall from my lips, I wanted to hold her, feel her soft warmth feeling my arms, but I couldn't, I needed to wait until she was ready, even if it was killing me to be so close to her and yet so far away.

"What is it Maria?" I choked out, she was standing mere inches away from me, but I stayed perfectly still in a crouch, trying to ignore the demands of my body and the way my body tensed instinctively, because God knows what she would do if I did give in and pounce on her, she would either be frightened of me or hate me, and I refused to risk either one.

"Whats wrong?" I laughed humourlessly in response as I stared out at the strangely calm sea, instead of at her, it wasn't much use though, I knew her facial features better than I knew my own, pale bronzed complexion, molten gold coloured eyes, high cheekbones that gave her an aristocratic look, delicate nose, lush full lips, and an oval jaw, I sighed raggedly, Maria was a classically beautiful woman, one would have to be blind not to notice that.

"What makes you think something is wrong?" I retorted in a hoarse voice, I swallowed several times but the lump in my throat stubbornly refused to disappear.

"Because you move like you want to out-run something" _And yet you caught me_, I didn't sat the words aloud, but they just echoing in my mind, like a persistent taunt. I shook my head slowly and leaned more of my weight back onto my haunches, not because I found my previous position uncomfortable, I was fighting the urge to either leap off the cliff edge and into the sea or rant at Maria.

"If I say that I was, will you leave me alone?" I forced myself to whisper, it was the last thing that I wanted, being away from her for even a few moments was like my own personal brand of torture, but listening to the bewildered emotion in her beautiful voice and seeing it her eyes was even worse than being way from her. I clenched my hands into tight fists as I heard her coming closer, her light footsteps sounded twice as loud as they actually were, her unique scent of vanilla and amber notes demanded the immediate attention of all my senses, the very core of my being was all but vibrating as she knelt on the ground beside me, a soft rumbling sound came from deep in my chest, I turned my head so I could gauge her reaction, I hadn't intended on growling warningly at her but what else could I do?.

"Don't growl at me Chelsea" Maria scolded softly, I raised a delicate eyebrow at my mate, where was the nervous woman I was used to, not that I was complaining, the determined gleam in her eyes was captivating.

"Do I have to remind you that I am three thousand years your elder?" I retorted in the same patronising tone that she'd used.

"Like age matters to our kind-" Maria smirked as she got more comfortable on the ground beside me, I bit back a smile, how little my beloved mate knew "-Besides only a fledgeling would growl when someone tries to help them" Maria declared resting her elegant hands on her toned, slacks covered thighs.

"Had much experience with fledgelings or a newborns then?" The words were out my mouth before I could stifle them, I couldn't say that I was sorry though, I'd been looking for the opportunity to ask her about her past for a while now.

"Understatement of the century" Maria laughed to herself while I scowled inwardly, what the hell kind of answer was that?.

"And where are your children now?" I asked with a shrug as I settled into a sitting position on the frost covered ground, she smiled brightly as she mirrored me.

"Only three remain, tragic isn't it?. I created hundreds and yet only _three _are still around today" Maria sighed bitterly, I could sense she wasn't telling me everything but I didn't want to push, I would eagerly take what she offer.

"Its takes along time to raise a newborn properly" I said in my own way of offering condolences, maybe she would one day be interested in creating and raising a newborn with me?, I smiled lovingly at the thought, before stowing it in the deep recesses of my mind, it could take years, centuries even, before Maria would be curious about making that kind of commitment.

"Maybe I just needed a little help-" Maria mused quietly, I managed to keep my face expressionless but I couldn't squash the the blissful purr that my inner animal decided let loose, I cleared my throat, trying to disguise it but low and behold it didn't, I sounded like a kitten who just got a new pillow to lounge around on, Maria smiled knowingly in response, it was a damn good thing I couldn't blush anymore because I would be redder than a ripe tomato "-You got any children?" Maria asked, I shifted uncomfortably, it wasn't exactly a subject I enjoyed talking about, but at least she wasn't calling me out on on my spontaneous purr.

"Heidi is related to me by blood and I turned Felix's maker" I stated flatly, I had a lot more immortal children out there, but she didn't tell me the whole truth about her past so why should I be miss honesty about mine, besides the painful twinge I felt in my chest as the half-truth fell from my lips.

"Heidi is actually related to you?-" She murmured, I nodded at her in response, anxious to answer any questions she may "-Do you have anymore blood relatives?" Maria pressed further.

"I kept a careful eye on my human family through the ages, making sure they had everything they wanted within reason and sparing them from dangers they couldn't see, but I couldn't save them from time itself, through one way or another, Heidi was the last" I sighed regretfully.

"Couldn't you have turned some of them?" I jerked slightly when Maria moved impossibly closer to me, I could feel the warmth radiating off of her body, though to a human it would seem that she were ice cold.

"Aro gave me clear cut instructions that if I even thought about it he would have each of them killed" I revealed honestly, she hissed angrily beside me, I smiled gently and leaned closer to her, loving the sensation of her being so close to me.

"I've never met Aro but I'm really starting to hate him" Maria growled, her slight Spanish accent was growing more and more noticeable with each passing second.

"There will be a time for that soon" I soothed reaching out for her clenched fist, my own accent was growing stronger as well, my long, slender fingers slowly encased her slim wrist, her skin was amazingly soft, I noted instantly, I just hoped she didn't pull away from me.

"I can't wait" Maria sighed harshly, we lapsed into an intimate silence as we looked at each other, I tilted my head curiously and began drawing small, experimental circles on the smooth skin of her wrist, her eyes half closed in response, I almost shivered at the smouldering look on her face.

"All good things to those who wait" I whispered, breaking the silence, her eyes dropped to my hand on hers and her lips parted slightly, she looked so beautiful I wanted to use my hold to pull her closer to me, so that I could finally kiss her, I froze as her eyes trailed back up to mine, time seemed to stop in that instant, when our eyes locked together.

"Chelsea I..." My head snapped to the side quickly as the tiny hairs on the back of my neck started tingling with awareness, there was someone coming towards us and it wasn't one of our family.

"Demetri..." I murmured to myself, I recognised his natural scent as the soft breeze brought it closer to me.

"What?" Maria asked in a soft tone, I cast her a regretful look as I climbed to my feet, offering her my hand for her to do the same, I clenched my jaw tightly as I helped my mate to her feet, we were finally getting somewhere, at last she was letting me in and fucking Demetri just had to show up now, I growled low in my throat, as frustration bubbled up in the pit of my stomach.

"Hello Chelsea" I jerked Maria behind me impulsively, keeping my hand outstretched to prevent her from moving passed me, there was no way in hell Demetri was coming within sniffing distance of my mate, I kept my eyes firmly trained on the forestry as Demetri slowly stepped out into the open dressed in the typical black cloak of the Volturi guard, only Aro's personal guards were allowed to wear grey.

"What do you want Demetri?" I bit out, Demetri raised his hands slightly, supposedly I was to take that as a sign that he didn't want to fight, if I were him, I wouldn't want to either, I was easily ten times stronger, faster and far more experienced that he was.

"You really gotta ask?" Was Demetri's reply, I scowled gently when his red eyes settled on Maria, standing so close behind me I could feel how tense she was, my mate was ready for a fight if needs be, I hissed dangerously at Demetri, I relaxed marginally when his gaze returned to me, I didn't even like him looking at Maria.

"Do you?-" I countered with a smirk "-You know exactly what I'm going to say to you, so why don't you just tuck tail and run back to Aro?" I sneered.

"Do realise how many of our kind are going to be hurt, killed even, if the fae attacks Aro?" Demetri asked instead of taking my advice.

"Then maybe Aro should've left Bella alone when she gave him the chance" Maria interjected from behind me, I shifted protectively when Demetri looked closely at Maria.

"So Bella is content to hurt dozens of vampires who have never even met her just because of Aro's ego, perhaps I was wrong about her, I thought she still had a little of her humanity left" Demetri growled, I tilted my head, I got the sense that Demetri was being sincere and didn't actually care about what Aro wanted, not in the slightest, if I was right, then I had to respect him, but I didn't trust Demetri, I wasn't that stupid.

"Bella won't attack anyone who doesn't attack her first" Maria assured my former coven-mate coldly, I nodded slightly, I didn't know much about my new family but I knew enough that I could confidently say that they wouldn't kill needlessly, for Christ sake, Bella wasn't even going to kill Fuckward until he tried to kidnap Lucas and thats saying something.

"I hope you're right for all our sake's-" Demetri sighed harshly, before he turned on his boot heel and slowly stalked towards the forest, I stayed perfectly still with all my senses on high alert as I watched him "-And Chelsea?...I'm happy for you" He called out to me before he leapt into the snow covered forestry, I waited for long painful seconds that seemed to settle in my stomach like stones, before I turned around hesitantly, I found Maria with her arms wrapped around herself.

"What is he talking about Chelsea?" Maria asked gently, I extended my hand out to her slowly, I bit my lower lip as I waited for her to take my invitation, I closed my eyes briefly as her hand slipped into mine, my skin started tingling with awareness instantaneously.

"I'll tell you soon enough" I smiled lovingly, the smile only grew when she returned it, my chest tightened in response.

"Alright, we should be getting back anyway, Bella wanted to talk to all of us together" Maria announced already pulling me towards the forest, Demetri's musky scent lingered on the air but I was sure he was gone, hand in hand, we walked at a brisk pace into the trees, it didn't bother me that Maria was all but dragging in the direction of home, I'd follow her anywhere.

**Rosalie's POV.**

"I really don't want to leave them" I whimpered as Bella tucked the twins into their crib, she leaned down and kissed their foreheads lovingly, before she came over to me with a loving smile tugging at her lips.

"Baby you can hear them from downstairs and it will literally take less than a second to get back to them if they wake up, okay?" Bella murmured, I pouted as she slipped her strong arms around my slender waist, she grinned brightly.

"Fine-" I conceded begrudgingly, this was going to be hard, I didn't want to leave my babies, I needed to have them close to me just in case something happened and just because they filled my arms so perfectly, just like their momma did, I smiled distantly as I wrapped my arms around the love of my life "-But one single inkling that they're stirring and we are both gonna be back up here like a shot"

"Yes ma'am" Bella drawled teasingly, as she began running her soothing hands up and down my back lazily, I sighed softly, only Bella could manage to do that, a simple touch from my mate could make everything seem brighter.

"And if I get a really bad feeling" I added, nibbling my lower lip nervously, damn my nerves, I knew I was being totally unreasonable, after all I was going to be one floor away from my little angels, but the distance was still too much for my inner fae to be comfortable with.

"Of course" Bella agreed easily as I tucked my head under her chin and nuzzled the base of her throat, inhaling her freesia and jasmine scent.

"Can we just stay here then because I have a bad feeling" I whined, my voice was slightly muffled, but she heard me clearly because of her enhanced hearing.

"Do you wanna stay here with them?" Bella asked, her melodious tone was amazingly calming, I purred gently when Bella's arms tightened around me, it was so tempting to just say 'yes', but I knew I had to be a part of this and it would only be for a few moments.

"Jesus Christ I'm going insane-" I declared suddenly, Bella chuckled lightly as she kissed the top of my head comfortingly, I drew away from her slightly and smiled "-Thank you" I murmured, she frowned softly in response but a half smile continued playing with corner of her succulent lips.

"For what?" Bella tilted her curiously.

"For being you" I drawled leaning up to kiss her gently, I pulled back before she had a chance to deep it though, I wouldn't be able to resist her if she did, I never could, but the whole family needed talk about our future, then there would be time to play.

"Thats a compliment right?" Bella's voice was dripping with sarcasm so I just rolled my eyes at her, which earned me a laugh from my mate.

"Where you fishing for one?, come on I think I'm ready to go-" She pouted dramatically before she dropped her arms, I took her hand in mine before I walked slowly towards the door with my mate close behind me. I gripped the solid gold door handle and turned it before slipping out the twin's room, Bella used her free hand to carefully pull the door closed silently "-You planned that" I accused with a loving smile as we walked down the wide, luxuriously furbished hallway, hand in hand.

"You needed to focus on something else, else you wouldn't have left them" Bella shrugged, I tightened my hold on her hand as we came towards the staircase.

"You could've just dragged me outta there" I commented as we descended the mosaic stairs together.

"I would never force you to do something you didn't want to" Bella murmured as we stepped into the foyer, in time for the front door to burst open to reveal a smiling Chelsea and Maria holding hands themselves.

"Hey guys" Chelsea greeted closing the door behind Maria, I smiled slightly and nodded at them, I tilted my head to look at Bella when Maria and Chelsea walked passed us into the kitchen.

"Did you see that?" I asked quietly, making sure the two vampires wouldn't hear us as they joined he rest of our family, waiting patiently for me and Bella.

"You'd have to be blind not to see that Rose, I'm just glad that Maria seems to be moving on, God knows that Chelsea needs her" Bella squeezed my hand gently, I leaned in closer to her on impulse, her neon blue eyes darkened as I brushed our lips together tenderly, we both moaned softly as we shifted closer to each other.

"What was that for?" Bella asked breathlessly against my lips, I smiled and kissed her softly again for good measure.

"I love you" I shrugged helplessly, and I would never get tired of saying those three words aloud.

"Love you more" Bella whispered pressing her forehead against mine, our eyes locked intensely for long minutes.

"Sure, its not possible but sure, come on we've kept them waiting long enough" We walked down the long hall leading to the kitchen side by side with content smiles playing on our faces.

"Finally we were beginning to think you'd been abducted by little green aliens-" Tanya drawled when we walked into the kitchen, she was sitting on one of the counters with Jasper right next to her with a thoughtful expression on his face "-Or worse, you'd gone out salsa dancing" Everyone laughed at the mocking grimace on Tanya's face, including me and Bella.

"Whats wrong with salsa dancing exactly?" Irina asked her older sister, she was sat at the marble island in the centre of the crowded kitchen with Heidi sitting in her lap with her arms wrapped around her older mate tightly.

"It was the first thing that came to mind" Tanya admitted with a careless shrug causing everyone to chuckle in amusement.

"Sure we believe you-" Bella smirked as she reached into the back pocket of her skinny jeans, producing her Blackberry she presumably flipped through her contacts "-I'm getting Caius and Marcus on speaker" She explained feeling everyone's eyes on her, finally after a few seconds of listening to the dial tone, Caius and Marcus were effectively part of the conversation.

"At last I was starting to get bored" Caius said in way of greeting.

"You won't be when we get over there" Bella replied as she placed her phone on the kitchen counter beside Tanya, I froze instantly, had I heard her right, when we got where exactly, I decided to wait for my mate to explain.

"You're coming to Volterra?" Caius asked softly after a long silence.

"Aro won't be expecting us to move against him so thats precisely what we're gonna do, he'll be off balance and easily beaten" Bella explained, looking at each member of our large family in turn.

"What about the twins?" I breathed worriedly, I knew we had to take Aro down if we were ever going to live in peace, but there was no way I was endangering my children to do it.

"I have a stronghold in the Italian Alps, its at Mount. Blanc, which is the highest point meaning the Volturi would never be able to sneak up on us" Victoria interjected, I relaxed only marginally, Mount Blanc was over fifteen thousand feet high, and having the high ground would provide us with a major advantage over our enemies in a fight.

"We could meet you there" Caius offered over the phone.

"Thats the idea-" Bella agreed "-And I was kinda wondering if any of the guards want to leave Aro's service, so to speak" Bella murmured, I smiled adoringly, she didn't want to kill vampires needlessly.

"What did I tell you?" Maria whispered quietly, nudging Chelsea with her elbow, the two were standing close together near the back door, Chelsea smiled and nudged Maria back playfully.

"Possibly Demetri and Renata, I know that Sulpicia would defect if I asked and Corin along with her" Caius reported thoughtfully.

"Well thats four lives that I won't be forced to take" Bella mused, I moved closer to my younger mate and wrapped my arm around her slender waist comfortingly.

"That isn't your biggest problem Bella-" Marcus observed gravely, Bella tensed softly in my arms "-Alexia of the _Sicarii _is here along with with three other members of her coven not including her brother" I frowned gently, I had never heard of the _Sicarii_, but clearly it was enough to make Marcus worry, and that made me shiver in barely hidden fear, Marcus had once killed seven werewolves on his own, a feat no other vampire could manage, but we were fae now, surely we could take this Alexia?, couldn't we?.

"Where have I heard that name before?" Bella spoke more to herself than to anyone else.

"The _Sicarii _are the assassins I commissioned to hunt down the fae, and they are still hunting your kind Bella" Caius whispered bitterly.

"Can we beat them?" Emmett enquired loudly in his deep baritone, he was leaning against a counter with Kate leaning her back against his massive chest.

"If there is anything in the world that can even hope to stand against a _Sicarii_ its a fae" Caius analysed.

"I'll have to learn to control my power" Bella murmured, I leaned forward and rested my chin on her shoulder as I urged her back so I could wrapped my arms around her waist, silently offering comfort.

"That could take years-" Marcus replied "-Unless...we could find an ancient fae to train you"

"All the surviving fae are in hiding though" Caius sighed raggedly, I felt a twinge of sympathy for the vampire, he already regretted his decision to eradicate the fae but now it was really snapping back at him in the worst way. We all lapsed into silence, frustration burning inside all of us, I nuzzled my face into the slender column of Bella's neck, the tense silence seemed to last for hours, when I suddenly felt the sensitive skin at the back of my neck tingling in warning, Bella's head snapped to the side, towards the front door, I heard and felt the dangerous growl that fell fro her tightly clenched jaw, I closed my eyes and tried to pick up any kind of sound, I could detect birds and other little animals bustling around in the forest as well as the subtle motions of my family, shortly after, like a blip on a radar, I heard agile footsteps racing towards the mansion, moving faster than anything I had ever ascertained, quicker than even me and Bella.

"There is someone outside" Bella declared before moving towards the front door, I had no choice but to let her go, my first instinct was to follow my mate but another part of me wanted to get to the twins, shit what did I do?.

"I'll check on Ashley and Lucas" Esme spoke quickly before she hurried out the kitchen I could hear her running up the stairs as I stalked out of the kitchen with Tanya and Victoria tailing me, I hurried through the hall at a rushed pace, I found Bella standing out on the stone stairs leading up to the house, she had raised her head slightly and was currently inhaling deeply, trying to catch the scent of the new arrivals, I moved to stand at her side with Tanya and Victoria flanking us, strangely enough I didn't have a foreboding sense that the two coming towards us meant any harm.

"They smell like...me" Bella turned to look at me with a bewildered look on her face, I started to reach out to cup her beautiful face to offer comfort, but all of a sudden there was a strong gust of wind that distracted me, especially when I was practically bathed in the scent of freesia and jasmine, so like Bella's and yet so different.

"Technically _you _smell like us-" A elegant yet distinctively feminine voice drawled, directly before two women seemed to pop out of thin air, I instantly recognised the smaller woman as Elena, Bella's biological mother who had visited me just before I gave birth to the twins, beside her stood, who I assumed was, Akasha. The elder of Bella's parents was a tall woman, with a long mane of white blonde hair, far paler as the snowy landscape behind her, she was an insanely beautiful woman with her classic aristocratic features and brilliant neon blue eyes, Akasha's eyes were the only feature that spoke the truth about the older fae's age, I shifted closer to Bella when I heard her gasp in recognition of who the new comers were to her "-Hello Bella" Akasha greeted in a strained voice, her eyes darkened with emotion as she trailed her eyes up and down the form of her daughter, I got the impression that she wanted to smile at what she found, but deemed it inappropriate. I glanced at Bella cautiously, she was glaring at her biological parents and shaking uncontrollably, I instinctively reached out, gently gripping her hips and pulled her close to me.

"Is that all you've got?-" Victoria hissed angrily, moving past me and Bella to stand toe to toe with Akasha, the fae was considerably taller than the redhead and her body seemed far stronger that Victoria's as well "-You abandoned her and a century later you decide to waltz back into her life like you have the bloody right?" Victoria growled, her English accent coming to the forefront like it always did when emotion overwhelmed her, I had to admire Victoria's protectiveness over Bella even if I felt a soft twinge of jealousy which was ridiculous, but deep down I also felt a pang of sympathy for Bella's parents, I couldn't imagine being separated from Ashley and Lucas let alone being forced to abandon them, I don't think I could, even if it was for their safety.

"Careful vampire, you speak of things you don't understand" Akasha snarled, I shivered in fear, my inner animal knew a superior predator when one stood before it.

"Then you better get fucking explaining" Bella violently growled in my arms, I slowly began running my hands up and down her warm back soothingly, this couldn't be easy, fuck why hadn't they chosen a better time to reveal themselves to my mate, we had enough stress as it was.

"I assume you want to survive when the _Sicarii _come knocking at your door" Akasha drawled, looking over Victoria, as though the redhead wasn't even there, at Bella.

"Can you teach her to control her power?" Tanya asked less than civilly, I had never heard Tanya address anyone in that tone before, I could tell that she was deeply suspicious of the two fae standing before us, but I wasn't, I had learned enough from our single encounter that Elena was trust worthy and by association so was Akasha, but how could I say that without upsetting my mate?.

"Yes" Akasha answered simply, returning her attention to Victoria, the redhead was tensed, coiled like a viper ready to strike at a moments notice, Akasha seemed more amused than anything else which didn't help the situation at all.

"Who says I want anything from either of you?" Bella sneered, I cast Elena a sympathetic glance when I saw her flinch at the acidity in Bella's tone.

"We've spent the last century keeping the _Sicarii _away from you and if you want to prevent them from killing your family you will put aside your justified resentment of us and put everything you have into training" Akasha commented crossing her arms over her chest.

"Remember what Marcus said" I breathed gently into Bella's ear, she looked back at me her eyes were black with the whirlwind of emotion going through her, I reached out and caressed the side of her face, she closed her eyes in response, for long seconds we stayed like that, ignoring the individual sets of eyes on us, when Bella's eyes fluttered open once more they were neon blue again, I smiled lovingly.

"How long will it take?" Bella asked begrudgingly, keeping her eyes locked with mine all the while.

"That all depends on you" Akasha observed in a soft tone.

"We can start after you and me have a little chat" Bella bit out at last.

**TBC. . .**

**AN: So what did you guys think, I personally wasn't really sure about Bella's reaction to her parents and I know Akasha seemed a little detached but I'll expand on that next chapter, speaking of which, I'm bringing Jacob/Jane and Seth/Alec back 'cause its been a while since we've seen them and I bet everyone wants to know if Jane has **_**finally **_**gotten with the love program. I'm not entirely sure when I'll be updating again, what with work and everything, but I really, **_**really**_** hope it won't be too long. ;D**


	33. Chapter 33

Title: Coming Home

Pairing(s): Bella/Rosalie, Leah/Alice, Victoria/Esme, Tanya/Jasper, Irina/Heidi, Emmett/Kate, Alec/Seth, Jane/Jacob, Chelsea/Maria.

Rating: M.

Disclaimer: Nothing is mine except Ocs, everything else belongs to Stephanie Meyer.

Summary: The Cullens left in new moon, Victoria changed Bella, together along with Seth, Jacob and Leah they've lived in Forks for over a century, what happens when the Cullens come back?.

**AN: So I meant to have this up a while ago, but stuff came up, and I couldn't get around to it. This chapter is focused mostly on Bella and her parents, and everyone's reaction to the newcomers hence the reason its a little shorter than normal. However Jane and Jacob are back in the game and so are Seth and Alec, as promised, I hope everyone likes the new side of Jane. Enjoy ;) **

**Chapter Thirty Three, Victoria's POV.**

"I really don't like them" I declared in a strong voice as I watched Akasha, Elena and Bella walk out the gleaming kitchen, I had to bunch my thigh muscles tightly to keep from stalking after them, Bella needed some moral support, now more than ever and since she'd all but carried Rose and the twins up to their bedroom, I was it.

"You don't have to" Esme murmured beside me, I twisted on the counter top I was perched on so I could study my mate, Esme was humming to herself absently as she all but danced around the kitchen in search of the various ingredients needed to create the masterpiece known as Leah's breakfast. Personally I think Leah was going to be chowing down on a mountain of home-made pancakes, Canadian bacon and free-range eggs this morning, judging from the cartons and packets that were sat beside me.

"I know but what kind of a parent abandons their child?" I would rather chew off my own arm than leave any of my adoptive offspring, the only person in the world that meant more to me than my children was Esme, which was why I hoped that I wasn't forced into a decision between them during our incursion into Volturi territory, it was doubtful, from our position at Mont Blanc we'd pick up on any movement on or around the mountain before the Volturi even had a chance to say 'Gotcha!'.

"I'm sure they had their reasons honey" Esme breathed as she started rummaging around in cupboards for the necessary equipment.

"Mmmhm" I crossed my arms over my breasts and contented myself by watching Esme's smooth yet lazily executed motions as she sieved flour into a mixing bowel, it was like watching a timeless classic, no matter how many times you watched it, it always found a new way to captivate you, a slow smile tugged the corners of my mouth upwards, I loved looking at Esme, being close enough to her that I could capture each expression and each change in tone as she went about her daily activities, it was satisfying on a primal level, and I was constantly discovering new things about my mate, things that made me love her more and more with each passing second.

"Besides you can only hold their hands through so many things, at some point you've gotta let them make their own decisions" Esme said gently as she crack open two brown eggs and added the yokes to the flour.

"But what if she makes the wrong one and ends up hurting herself" I growled, if either of Bella's so called parents so much as adopted a insensitive attitude towards _my _child then they were going to be receiving my boot up their asses and my fists in their faces, superior predators be dammed, I'd get in a few good punches that make them think twice.

"Then you be the loving parent that they aren't but I do think they deserve a chance to explain themselves, before you start telling Bella what you think of them" Esme murmured abandoning the mixing bowel to the island's cold embrace as she walked slowly towards me, her curvy hips swayed naturally, the subtle motion was mesmerising, I hopped off the black marble counter, it was a wonder I didn't fall on my ass the moment my bare feet hit the cold ground, I felt dazed as Esme came ever closer to me, bathing me in her vanilla scent, my throat ran dry in response.

"Yeah but what if..." I started to object, when I suddenly found her dainty hand covering my mouth, arching a delicate eyebrow in question I reached out myself and encased her luscious hips in my hands, using my hold on her to urge her closer to me, my eyes fluttered closed as the contours of her petite frame melded together with my taller body, it felt sinfully good, the feel of her hips pressing into mine, generous breasts brushing together with each unneeded inhale and exhale, I parted my lips beneath her hand and snaked my tongue past the sculpted seam to slowly lick her warm skin, her low moan echoed around the kitchen, uncontrollable shivers racked my body as I began lapping at her impossibly soft flesh, her hot moans and seductive sighs graced my ears, the heady scent of her arousal flooded my nostrils, she was pressing into me desperately as I swirled my tongue across her hand languidly, it was erotic as hell, I was dizzy with lust, I could feel my skin growing painfully sensitive, my breasts felt swollen, my nipples were rasping against my lacy bra, each of Esme's moans were fanning the flames of arousal simmering in my lower stomach. Such a quick reaction wasn't at all unexpected, I hadn't been with Esme since the attack, I didn't think she was ready, and I had no problem waiting until she was, but dammit I wanted her so badly.

"Stop" My eyes flickered open as that single shaky word slipped past my mate's succulent lips, I reluctantly drew back, but not before I nipped at the palm of her hand playfully, hoping and praying that she wouldn't feel pressured, fuck why did I have to open my mouth, literally.

"Sorry" I whispered gently, drawing random circular patterns on her curvy hips with my fingertips, the blossoming arousal was still simmering away in the pit of my stomach, clenching my jaw together I focused solely on the small motions I was in the middle of drafting, it was soothing, to a point, but I longed to feel her naked body beneath mine, to run my hands over her flawless skin as I worshipped her with everything I possessed.

"Tonight" Esme leaned up onto her tip-toes and brushed her lips against mine in a tender kiss, I froze as the word resounded through my head, over and over again, I was grinning like an idiot as she slipped out of my arms and returned to preparing Leah's breakfast. My eyes latched onto her gorgeous backside as she walked, her hips had a little more sway, I could've flown if anyone asked me to, at that moment, I was sure of it.

"Hate to see you go, love to watch you leave" I drawled, tonight couldn't come fast enough as far as I was concerned, finally for the first time in weeks, I would at last be making love to my mate. Esme's breezy laugh echoed around me, like a choir of angels, she picked up the milk carton and added the right amount to her half-ready pancake mixture.

"Whatever keeps you away from our guests baby"

**Rosalie's POV.**

"This is ridiculous" I muttered for the thousandth time in fifteen minutes, I turned when I heard a tiny giggle behind me in the centre of mine and Bella's large bedroom, leaning back against the windowsill I pursed my lips at the two sets of identical neon blue eyes looking up at me curiously. Ashley and Lucas were sat in separate baby bouncer chairs, I smiled at them lovingly.

"Well it is" I insisted, before I pushed myself off the windowsill and walked towards the twins at a leisurely pace, I dropped into an effortless crouch beside the bouncers before I shifted and tucked my legs beneath me. I couldn't believe that Bella had badgered me back in here, like I was a child who had to be tucked away in a corner because the 'grown ups' were talking, I snorted to myself as I reached out and slowly began exerting enough pressure of the bouncers to rock the twins up and down gently, taking extra care not to press down too hard, lest I accidentally break the tiny chairs. Ashley started waving her hands around and she was giggling loudly while Lucas was staring at me as though he was asking me what the hell was going on.

"Don't worry honey its not gonna bite ya" I assured him easily, he seemed to believe me because he started gurgling to himself happily, I grinned helplessly, they were so adorable, it was so hard to actually accept that I had carried and given birth to these two beautiful children, it still seemed so surreal. Everything did, not a month ago I was a lonely miserable wreck in Cullen manor being lorded over by Fuckward and his dickhead disciple, now I had Bella, the sun in my sky, and she'd given me the twins, the one thing I always wanted.

"Rosalie?" I climbed to my bare feet with a grace unnatural to humans, glancing over my shoulder at the twins, making sure that there wasn't anything around them that could end up hurting them, but as usual the floor of my bedroom was spotless, I didn't know how Esme did it, but I knew my mother was responsible for the flawless state of my shared bedroom, she must sneak in while we were putting the twins to bed because there was no way anyone could get any cleaning done during the day, but then Esme was like the Queen of cleanliness, I wouldn't be surprised if she had emergency supplies hidden beneath the floorboards just waiting to be used.

"Hey Eleazar" I greeted the older man with soft smile, Eleazar looked impossibly out of his element, I gestured for him to step into my bedroom, he smiled and stepped into the suite, his moccasins scuffled against the indigo carpet, I closed the door carefully and turned to face the nervous vampire, taking in his worn designer jeans and white polo shirt in his pale hand he held a leather bag that looked mysteriously like an old medical bag that hadn't been seen since I was human in nineteen twelve, yet this one was in pristine condition.

"Whats up?" I murmured tucking my hands into the front pockets of my black nylon slacks, I did not like the sight of that bag, not one little bit.

"I was just wondering if I could look over the twins, if you're okay with that?" Eleazar shifted uncomfortably, he looked like he was ready to bolt at a moments notice, it was disturbing to know that I intimidated my brother to that degree, but then I guess I had been a little unsociable over the past couple of weeks.

"Sure, just bare in mind that Ashley likes to squirm if she thinks she can get away with it and Lucas sometimes gets this look in his eyes..."

"Rosalie I could show you my medical degrees and diplomas if you'd like?" Eleazar arched his dark eyebrow at me, I would've flushed if I was a human, I shrugged at my brother as he knelt before my children and placed his bag down beside him.

"So when did you actually get your doctorate anyways?" I moved to stand beside him as he unclipped the fastenings that kept Ashley held securely inside her light purple bouncer, I watched with a careful eye as my brother slipped his hands under my daughter's arms and lifted her into his strong arms, Ashley squealed blithely as Eleazar nuzzled the top of her head, my inner fae stirred beneath my skin as I watched my brother unashamedly inhale my daughter's natural scent, I dug my fingertips into my slender hips.

"The four of you share the same scent" Eleazar mused as he pulled away from Ashley, my baby girl decided that it was time to return the favour, I could hear her making little noises in the back of her throat as she sniffed him delicately, I was puzzled over her behaviour and not for the first time, I always got the sense that Ashley and Lucas knew what I was saying to them but there was no way they could, after all they were only a week old.

"And that is a bad thing?" I cleared my throat before asking, Eleazar seemed to mull it over as he carefully set Ashley back in the bouncer, I flinched abruptly as Ashley sneezed so violently the bouncer started shaking even without being provoked, I tilted my head at her and smiled dotingly, Ashley's eyes went wide as she recovered from the sneeze, her head was lolling from side to side, she looked so cute, dressed in a white cotton baby vest and matching hat, Alice still hadn't gotten her fashion obsessed hands on my babies yet, not that I was much better than my sister, I had piles of designer baby clothes stacked on their own shelf inside the walk-in closet, I just wanted the twins to grow a little before I imposed my fashion sense on them.

"Well ah..." Eleazar was attempting to stifle a chuckle as he watched Ashley lift her tiny hand up to brush her dainty nose as though she wanted to sneeze again "...Its just highly unusual, most living things have their own unique scent, whether they're humans, vampires or shifters, but you Bella and the twins all smell like freesia and jasmine" Eleazar stated as he reached into his bag and pulled out a notepad and a pen, I was tempted to peek inside the dark bag but if I was honest with myself it kinda scared me so I resisted.

"Must be a fae thing" I speculated, Eleazar nodded his dark head in agreement, for the next half an hour I watched as my brother weighed and measure each of my children, taking the necessary equipment out of his medical bag, I was pleased to note he took a lot of care as he lifted them.

"Speaking of fae..." Eleazar started as he shoved his notepad back into the bag, he must have made at least three pages worth of observations.

"Bella doesn't want me any near them so I can't help you with any queries" I interrupted, he shrugged in a 'well I tried' kind of way.

"Its just that we could learn so much from them and we wouldn't have to wait for changes to bite us on our behinds" Eleazar sighed regretfully.

"There is nothing stopping you from asking them Eleazar...except Bella" I added with a nod when Eleazar arched an brow at me, he climbed to his feet reluctantly, his golden brown gaze was still centred on the twins, looking up at him with wide eyes.

"I don't think I will, not until Bella makes her mind up about them. It would be kind of insensitive don't you think?" He sighed again, I felt bad for my brother, if there was one thing in the world that held some potential mystery Eleazar tended to be right there trying to decipher it.

"Yeah..." I conceded pulling my hands from my pockets, Eleazar was slowly walking toward the door as we talked "...I just hope they can patch things up" I admitted, just like Ashley and Lucas needed me and Bella, my mate needed her parents too and not just so Bella could learn to control her gifts, the bond between parent and child was almost unbreakable and I could sense how much Bella wanted to know her parents even if she resented them for giving her up, I'm sure they could move past it.

"Rose I would be more concerned if Victoria does something she'll regret" Eleazar pulled me into a warm one-armed embrace, I could smell the twin's light freesia and jasmine scent clinging to front of his polo shirt, I wrapped my arm around his waist and squeezed.

"So how are my babies doc?" I teased as I reached out with my free hand to open the door.

"They are developing normally, though they don't have a heart beat which would imply that they retain the natural resilience of a fae I also doubt that they actually need to ingest anything besides ah...your venom" Eleazar's voice dropped a few notches, I let go of my taller brother, it was kinda awkward discussing breastfeeding with any man, much less a man I'd known for centuries and held monumental amounts of respect for.

"So in layman's terms, they can't sustain injury?" I prompted as Eleazar stepped out of my bedroom, he turned to face me as he lingered just outside in the wide hallway.

"Not from a vampire, human or shifter" Eleazar nodded, I smiled and leaned my hip against against the open door and crossed my arms over my chest.

"So I don't have to add extra blankets when the temperature drops?" I'd do it anyway just to be certain but I wanted to know if it was necessary.

"You don't have to" Eleazar assured.

"Good to know" I murmured distractedly, I could hear the twins gurgling away to themselves from the centre of the room, I smiled at Eleazar, trying to say without words that I really just wanted to be alone with my babies.

"Anyway I should head downstairs, what with Carmen and Esme's décor war" Eleazar rolled his golden brown eyes even as a loving smile spread across his face, I chuckled breezily, for as long as I live I will never get the sight of Esme holding Carmen in a headlock out of my head, it was right up there with the day I gave birth to Ashley and Lucas and the day I first lay my eyes on Bella although it didn't hold nearly as much sentimental value as the two latter dates.

"My money is on Esme, no offence intended" I grinned, moving away from the door and closing my hand on the door handle, ready to close it.

"Can't say I blame you..." Eleazar whispered quietly so that Carmen wouldn't be able to hear him from downstairs, I grinned widely at the tall vampire "...So I'll see you later?"

"Definitely" I smiled and waited for my brother to walk down the hall, it was only when I heard his moccasins touch the first step of the grand stair case that I closed the door firmly, I started towards the twins making a short detour towards the night stand where I'd left my Blackberry curve the night before.

"_Are you okay?. xx" _

When it came to texting I didn't believe in abbreviations, it just seemed so impersonal not to mention lazy and it wasn't like the shortening words would make things quicker for a fae anyway.

**Bella's POV.**

"_Are you okay?. xx" _

I didn't have a clue and that was the, honest to God, truth. I cast a fleeting look over at Akasha and Elena, the two were standing over near a small ice covered lake with their arms wrapped around one another as they waited for me to join them, we were a couple miles away from the mansion, out in the snow covered forest. Sighing quietly, I returned my attention to the blank screen of my Blackberry, my fingers hovered over the keys uselessly. I knew I had to reply to Rosalie's text or else she'd go mad with worry and I'd end up with a bruised ass later, but I didn't quite like the idea of lying to my mate, especially when she'd see right through it anyway.

"_I really don't know. xx" _

I crossed my arms over me chest, my phone ended up being tucked underneath my arm as I leaned back against a thick tree trunk behind me, I didn't know what the breed was, but it had to be fifty or sixty years old, judging from the smells coming off of it.

"_Do you need me?" _

A loving smile tugged at my lips and a fluttering sensation built up in my chest, bordering on becoming overwhelming, once again my eyes trailed, seemingly of their own accord, over towards the couple standing about nineteen yards away from me, the dark clothes they were wearing made them stand out against the snowy landscape, for the first time in my life since I was human, I wanted to run away, as fast as I could, I wanted to run into Rosalie's arms and I wanted to forget all about the two fae waiting with maddening patience for me. But that wasn't an option.

"_I always need you"_

I quickly replied, heaving a great sigh as I typed. Out the corner of my eye I glimpsed Akasha's head tilting in my direction, as though she were trying to hear what I was thinking, I heard her whisper something in another language to Elena, for the life of me I couldn't make out a single syllable, much less enough to figure out what language it was. It didn't really matter, the only reason I was here, with them, was so I could learn how to control my gift, that was it, I wasn't looking for another parental figure in my life, I had Victoria and Esme for that, but I was curious about my biological parents, I would never admit that out loud but the urge to ask them things about their, presumably long, lives was making me feel edgy and not in a good way.

"_Likewise my love, but I meant that do you want me there with you?. xxx"_

My eyes were suddenly burning, like I was going to cry, and my breathing grew shaky. Of course I wanted Rosalie with me, if I had my way we would never be parted, not even for a single second, but I didn't want my mate or our twins anywhere near Akasha and Elena until _I _knew for sure how I felt about them, because right now, all I felt was a whole lot of nothing, except confusion. It was ironic, just yesterday evening I was ready to rip their heads off, or at least give it a good shot, and now, I felt like I was meeting a pair of strangers for the first time, I didn't know what to make of them, all I knew was that they looked like me, apart from that, I had nothing to go on, I wasn't even sure where to begin when it came to talking to them.

"_No you should stay with Ashley and Lucas. I'll be back soon anyway. xxx"_

I nodded to myself after sending the text. If I handled Akasha and Elena in small doses, which increased each time, then maybe we might actually be able to build a relationship. It was doubtful. What if they weren't interested in being a part of my life?, what if they only came back to train me and that was it?, I frowned to myself, that scenario didn't make any sense. There was only one way to find out what they wanted from me, and if I was willing to pay the price, talking to them.

"_Don't take too long. Me and the twins are watching a movie in bed and we really want you to come and keep us warm. xxx"_

I could already picture the three of them, Rosalie would be laying on her side, on our obscenely large four-poster bed, with her body curved around the twins, who would no doubt having an entourage of pillows stacked up around them to keep them from rolling around too much. I desperately wanted to be with them, with the three people who meant everything to me, with them, there was no uncertainty and even if there was, all I had to do was remind myself that I was theirs and they were mine, and then everything else, besides their continued happiness and safety, took a back seat in my mind and it stayed there.

"_Can't wait. I love you. xx"_

"_And I love you, so do the twins but they can't come to the phone right now. xx"_

"_How come?"_ I felt compelled to reply with a loving smile on my face as I texted.

"_Its the spaghetti and meatballs scene in 'Lady and the Tramp'"_

"_Well that explains everything"_

**Jacob's POV.**

"Jane?" I murmured in a hoarse voice that did nothing to disguise my naturally deep baritone, glancing around my old bedroom in the house I used to live in with Bella, Victoria, Leah and Seth, it seemed so long ago when in fact it hadn't even been a month.

"Mmm?" I smiled instinctively as my petite mate slipped into the barren room, asides from a king sized bed and an oak wardrobe the room was empty. Jane's shoulder length blonde hair was tousled, and the only thing she was wearing was one of my old T-shirts that I'd grown out of a century ago, it was a faded grey and on the front was the logo of my local football team way back before I shifted, her own clothes were in shreds, discarded in the corner of the rectangular room.

"You okay?" I trailed my dark eyes down her slender body carefully, I winced inwardly, she appeared so fragile that I almost felt guilty, God the last two weeks must have been hell for her, I didn't remember much of the mating heat after she'd shown up, but I do remember the raw states of agonising pleasure, the painful hunger, the sensitivity of each and every sense.

"Why wouldn't I be?" I crossed my arms over my bare chest, after the driving urge to fuck and eat had dispersed almost an hour ago, I'd taken a quick shower and at this point in time, I only had a black towel wrapped around my lean waist, there were a few scraps of clothing and other things laying around the house, we'd either forgotten to pack them when we left or they'd been deemed too trivial to take with us.

"You really need me to answer that babe?" I drawled, smiling slowly as she glanced down at her bare feet, unable or unwilling to meet my eyes, at least she wasn't blanking me, which I think means we've made some serious progress, when I first imprinted on her, she would rather of stuck pins in my 'tender areas' than be in the same room as me.

"Don't get cocky Jacob it doesn't become you" Jane all but hissed with very little heat, her golden eyes flashed jet black, but was it with irritation or something else, I couldn't tell, but I could tell she looked so damn beautiful right now, my chest actually hurt as I looked at her with a half-smile on my face.

"Duly noted..." I tilted my head as she started towards the window that over looked the basketball court, me and Seth had outlined over a decade ago "...I can still call you babe though right?" I grinned as she rounded on me with wide eyes.

"Can I call you 'puppy'?" Jane retorted, I was momentarily dumbfounded, I had never seen this side of Jane before, she was being playful, and I needed more or it.

"When I think of puppies I think of small defenceless little creatures, and we both know there is nothing small about me" I leaned my broad shoulder against the door frame, separating the bathroom from the bedroom, daring my mate to comeback with an insult.

"I'll give you that" Jane drawled with a wicked smirk, I almost groaned at the seductive tone of her voice, even though I'd spent the last two weeks buried in the sweet heat between her thighs, I could feel my wolf raising his massive head and baying for more, I swallowed tightly as my throat ran dry, I would love to make love to her without the mating heat driving me insane with its hard demands.

"Damn that sounded like a compliment" I grinned widely, her dark eyes narrowed slowly but her devilish smirk remained in place on her flawless face.

"Yeah it was, huh I guess that makes you the little spoon in this relationship" She mused sarcastically, tilting her head, the sunlight flowing in through the window made her skin shimmer like diamonds, it was a sight I would never forget, she looked like a goddess.

"Hey now, theres no call for that, that is the first compliment you've ever given is all." I shrugged, feigning nonchalance, our relationship was still a work in progress so I probably shouldn't fall to my knees in front of her and tell her exactly how perfect she was.

"So technically you should give me one" Jane pursed her sculpted red lips at me, I straightened to my full height of seven foot even, and for once she didn't tense, like she was about to bolt if I got too close, I moved across my old bedroom, the floorboards creaked under my weight, I was at least four hundred pounds of pure muscle, not that I could find a weighing scale that didn't crack under my immense muscle mass anymore.

"You are the most beautiful, wonderfully stubborn, scary intelligent woman I've ever known, and I thank God or the fates or destiny, whichever rules us, for bringing you into my life, even if you did knock me out when we first met" A low breezy laugh slipped past her full lips, it sounded like wind chimes, the captivating melody caressed my senses and finally settled in my chest, around my heart, which undeniably belonged to her and always would.

"You're forgetting sadistic, cold, opportunistic..." I reached out and snaked my bulky arms around her tiny waist, pulling her up against my body, her small hands were gripping my massive biceps, she didn't have a hope in hell of ever encircling my wrist with her perfectly dainty hands much less anything else.

"Maybe once, but not anymore" I promised, I knew she was still trying to adapt to being somebody else, not a Volturi, and I needed her to know that I didn't see her past or anything she'd done under Aro's command.

"That is a bold statement, considering you still know nothing about my past" Jane didn't meet my eyes as she spoke in a strained voice, as though she were having difficulty forming her words.

"And I want to know everything about it..." I assured her easily, her head snapped up and our eyes locked "...So long as you promise that you will look to our future, together"

"We have a future then?" An uncertain smile played at the corner of her lips.

"Yes we do"

**Rosalie's POV.**

A soft knock on mine and Bella's bedroom door brought me out of my daze, I'd been tracing Ashley and Lucas' features as they slept, surrounded by four large pillows that were bathed in the scent of freesia and jasmine, I found myself noticing it more after Eleazar's visit earlier in the day. Careful not to jostle the mattress too much so I didn't wake the sleeping twins, I set my Blackberry on the night stand as I started towards the polished oak door, running my slender fingers through my long blonde hair as I went.

"Hey guys" I took a moment to say as I pulled the door open and found Emmett and Jasper standing nervous out in the hall, I knew immediately that something was up from the identical frowns on their faces.

"Hey Rose, how are the twins?" Emmett asked in a uncharacteristically soft voice, my ex-husband was normally so loud you'd be able to hear him miles away, he must be able to hear Ashley and Lucas' even breathing from inside my bedroom.

"Sleeping..." I leaned my hip against the door and smirked at them "...Why?"

"Well Jazz here has decided that its time to make the ultimate commitment, the kind that involves rings and vows, you get the idea" Emmett whispered so that Tanya wouldn't be able to hear him from downstairs, I grinned brightly and stepped out into the hall, listening carefully so that I would be able to hear any change in the twin's breathing that would indicate they were waking up.

"I'm really happy for you Jazz" I smiled at my nerve-racked brother, Jasper's eyes were black, probably with worry, I pulled him into a one armed hug, Jasper latched on to me for dear life, his muscular arms were so tight around my slender waist it was a miracle I wasn't being broken in half.

"Tell me that after I've asked her" Jasper's southern drawl was emphasised because of his nervous state, I patted his strong back supportively.

"She'll say 'yes' so fast you'll get whiplash" I promised, whispering into his ear so that Emmett wouldn't tease him after they left me to my angelic children. Jasper seemed to calm down slowly as I drew back, a new determined look crossed his face.

"Its rude to whisper when there is a third party you know" Emmett complained with a child-like pout, obviously begging me, without words, to relay what I'd told Jasper.

"Because you're always so courteous" I drawled sarcastically, Emmett opened his mouth, about to say something, when suddenly his square jaw snapped shut so fast a loud cracking sound filled the hall.

"Whatever" Emmett crossed his arms over his massive chest and sniffed indignantly, his personal way of sulking, I looked at Jasper and rolled my eyes.

"You wanna look at the ring?" Jasper said quickly, already reaching into the front right pocket of his jeans, I nodded needlessly and waited until jasper produced a small red velvet covered box with the signature of the local jeweller in town printed on the top in gold.

"Can I?" I held my hand out for the small box, Jasper pressed it into my open palm and took a step back, like a schoolboy who'd just handed in his homework and was seriously worried about what the teacher would say. I smiled at my brother as I flipped opened the velvet box, I whistled appreciatively at the gorgeous specimen inside, laying on a bed of white was a ring, the band was quarter of an centimetre thick, on the front was a sparkling square diamond embedded inside the silver band, to either side of the centrepiece diamond was a much smaller diamond, the stunning pattern continued all around the band, the gems grew smaller and smaller, the last two at the bottom of the band behind the centrepiece was no more than a millimetre in size.

"Seventy eight carat, at least, the cheapest of it's kind is about eighteen thousand dollars. You didn't hold anything back" I tilted my head at Jasper, he was almost shaking with anticipation for my opinion, I closed the box and extended it back towards my brother.

"Do you think she'll like it?" Jasper asked, biting his lip.

"Well the jeweller certainly liked the green you spent on it" Emmett chuckled to himself, I shot a Jasper a look.

"Don't listen to him sis, I used my credit card" I breathed a sigh of relief after all what kind of a human carried that kind of cash around in their pockets, it probably wouldn't even fit, I glared darkly at Emmett, my bear of a brother grinned with false innocence, I found myself smiling up at him begrudgingly.

"I think Tanya will love it..." I murmured to Jasper, as he slipped the red velvet box back into his faded jeans "...Now I should get back to the twins" I backed up a step so I was over the threshold separating my bedroom from the hall.

"Hey can I play with them when they're awake?" Emmett was practically bouncing on the balls of his feet as he looked at me expectantly.

"Under close supervision" I chuckled at his insulted look, it wasn't that I didn't trust him, it was just that Emmett was so much bigger than Ashley and Lucas, he could probably fit one of them in each hand, and he could be very boisterous at times, so it made sense for me to be close, so that he didn't tire them out too much.

"Deal, can I bring Kate?" Emmett asked with an excited grin.

"Guys you don't need a visiting order to come see them, Christ do I scare you that much?" I arched a delicate blonde eyebrow at them.

"Nah, its just that with Bella's parents showin' up outta nowhere, we figured that she wouldn't really want anyone else around them" Jasper crossed his arms over his chest and shrugged.

"She is really confused right now..." I conceded, feeling my entire body twitch with the need to track down my mate and pull her into the comfort of my arms "...But that means she needs us all the more"

"You mean she needs _you_" Emmett winked suggestively, I pursed my lips in contempt, Jasper placed a restraining hand on Emmett's large shoulder and started pulling him back.

"That is our cue to leave, thanks for checkin' out the ring Rose" Jasper smiled gratefully.

"Anytime Jazz"

**Seth's POV.**

"Seth!" I grunted loudly as Leah threw her arms around my waist and squeezed for all she was worth, I wrapped my stronger arms around her shoulders and squeezed her back.

"Jeez Lee I think you're growing again" She definitely seemed taller to me, or maybe it was the fact that I hadn't seen her for two weeks, I smirked.

"Yay that means more shopping" Alice exclaimed with a smirk of her own, I chuckled when Leah glared up at me, even if my older sister was growing again, I was still a good five inches taller than her, while she was six foot three, I was six foot eight, but Jake was like a damn behemoth compared to both of us at seven foot.

"It also means she is twice your size pixie" I drawled back to her, not that I could say much, Alec was only five foot two, I glanced over my shoulder at my mate, standing nervously against the kitchen doorway, his blonde hair was damp from our recent shower and he was dressed in a pair of expensive black slacks and a silk black shirt, unbuttoned to the middle of his slender chest.

"Doesn't bother me..." Alice shrugged with a smile, she was sat on a stool at the island in the centre of the kitchen with her silver laptop open in front of her "...Hey Alec" Alice greeted absently, I pulled back from my sister, Leah quickly returned to Alice's side, I smiled down at my mate as he tucked himself into my side, I wrapped my muscular arm around his slender shoulders, taking the opportunity to inhale his natural amber scent.

"Hello Alice" Alec replied pressing his body against me tightly and wrapping his shorter arm around my lean waist.

"So what happened to the living room?" I asked, Leah groaned and buried her face in her hands while Alice shut the laptop and looked at me with a bright twinkle in her golden eyes.

"Oh you have so much to catch up on"

**Bella's POV.**

"So where do we start, training wise I mean?" I bit the inside of my cheek as I waited for Akasha to answer me, she was taller than me, at least six foot, with waist length white blonde hair that was whiter than the snowy landscape surrounding us.

"Everyone has a trigger, we've just got to find yours and then its a matter how much discipline you can muster" Akasha turned to face me, keeping her body between me and Elena, I put that down to instinct, she didn't know how I was going to react to them, whether I was going to be distant or if I was going to get violent, I didn't feel much of either right now though, I just wanted to be with Rosalie and the twins.

"What kind of trigger?" I sighed, looking out over the frozen lake.

"Emotional" Akasha stated bluntly, I glanced back at her, her aristocratic features were so similar to my own and I had her neon blue eyes, but I held Elena's hair colour, looking at the three of us together, no one would be able to deny we were related, humans would more than likely assume we were sisters though, given that by their physical appearances they looked no older than twenty three at the most.

"What so I get angry and suddenly I can control it?" I frowned.

"Your emotional trigger will let you summon your element, controlling it comes down to how much..."

"...Discipline I have" I finished for her, she had a light accent that I couldn't quite place, Italian or something similar.

"Right" Akasha nodded.

"Does every fae control an element?" I looked back out over the icy lake, the wind was carrying a blanket of snow across the clearing.

"Only four of the founding families" Akasha answered, moving so that Elena could stand beside her, I crossed my arms over the front of my shirt, telling myself that I didn't care about the significance of the action.

"Stop being so cryptic Akasha" Elena scolded quietly, I could see the petite fae looking at me nervously out the corner of my eye.

"Millions of years ago, we fae lived in clans, separate from each other. After faced with the threat of extinction by _Sicarii _hands our elders decided that we should come together to form a solid nation, with three classes, serving class, fighting class and ruling class" Akasha explained.

"And we're ruling class" I added.

"Yes we are" Akasha tilted her head.

"And the fae created vampires?" I pressed, this was going better than I first thought it would.

"I was the first vampire" Elena interjected, I looked back at them closely, there was something about their auras that screamed that they belonged together, I noted.

"But you're fae now" I pointed out with a frown.

"And so was Rosalie" Elena retorted with an equally baffled look.

"It is complicated..." Akasha murmured when we both looked to her for an explanation "...All I can tell you for sure is that, only the soulmate of a fae can become one of us"

"How old are you?" I changed the subject without even realising what I was doing, Akasha smiled slowly, sharing a look with Elena, that the petite fae seemed to be able to interpret without words.

"Eight thousand years, give or take" My eyes flew wide in shock, Akasha chuckled gently in response.

"And I'm two thousand years younger" Elena murmured.

"Do I have any siblings?" I breathed out, I didn't know what I wanted the answer to be, but it was highly probable that a mated couple their age could have several children, dozens, hundreds even.

"You did, along time ago" Akasha's eyes darkened with heartache, the whites in her eyes disappeared, I shivered gently but I knew she wouldn't hurt me, even if she did lose complete control.

"What happened?" Sympathy tugged at my chest, I watched helplessly as Elena moved closer to Akasha, sounds of distress were falling from her lips, Akasha drew Elena into her arms and began nuzzling the top of her head, I wished I hadn't mentioned it now, I didn't want to see them upset, the prospect made me feel ill.

"The _Sicarii _happened" Akasha bit out with a violent growl.

"This Alexia person, she have something to so with it?" I pressed when I knew on some level I shouldn't, but if they hadn't left me when I was a baby, I'd already know these things, so I refused to feel guilty about it, but it didn't stop the painful twinges in my chest as I watched Elena cling to Akasha desperately, as though the taller of my biological parents could drive the agonising memories away.

"Not personally" Akasha answered me as she began purring comfortingly to her mate, a deep rumbling sound that sounded like it belonged to a lioness.

"What is the relationship between the _Sicarii_ and the fae exactly?" I wasn't going to ask anything else, I could plainly see how upset the older fae were becoming.

"We were allies once, before I was even born. The _Sicarii _believe in strength above everything else and we were the only nation that held the potential to match them, and soon after negotiations began, members of the _Sicarii _hierarchy found their mates among fae, that solidified our relationship. For the next twenty thousand years we, literally, ruled over the super natural world together." Akasha revealed reluctantly.

"So what happened then?" I was determined to get the whole story, it was my heritage after all.

"Our kind began discovering our mates among humans, starting with me..." Akasha's arms visibly tightened protectively around Elena, the petite fae had fallen into a deep silence, her face was buried in Akasha's neck, unaware or unwilling to listen to our conversation "...Humans were and still are the weakest form of life in our world, contrary to their beliefs. The _Sicarii _expected us to shun the humans, as they did, Alexia herself demanded that I forget all about Elena..." Akasha tilted her head down at her mate, a loving expression transformed her beauty into all consuming radiance, I shook my head, I didn't know much about my fae heritage, but I did know that I wouldn't survive without Rosalie, so how could Akasha be expected to leave Elena "...But I couldn't, _I wouldn't, _she was and is my reason for existing. Of course the _Sicarii _lost all respect for me and by implication my entire nation. Alexia's father, the ruler of the _Sicarii, _severed all ties with us" Akasha hissed angrily, obviously reliving her memories.

"But what about the _Sicarii _with fae as mates?" I persisted.

"If they didn't leave their mates, the two of them and any offspring they had were slaughtered" Akasha sighed. I couldn't find my voice, what kind of a nation would demand that it's people leave their mates and children, it went beyond being defensible.

"Did any of them leave?" I whispered in a hoarse voice, I didn't understand the _Sicarii, _at all, and that was going to be dangerous, if you can't understand something then how did you fight it?, at least I, now, understood why Marcus and Caius were so fearful of the _Sicarii._

"None" I looked up towards the colourless sky slowly, taking a deep breath before I returned my attention to my biological parents, I felt a connection to them now, and I was more than willing to continue building on the foundation that the three of us had set today.

"Lets go home"

**AN: So what do you guys think about Akasha and Elena because I wasn't sure about Bella's reaction to them, I did have another scenario written where she is completely pissed but it lost the coin toss. **

**AN2: I'm not going to be able to update again until the middle of May, maybe a little longer because I have exams in like three weeks, YIKES, I'm really sorry about that, but I will be back, can't promise I'll have a sense of humour left though ;D **


	34. Chapter 34

**Disclaimer:** Nothing is mine except Ocs, everything else belongs to Stephanie Meyer.

**AN: I'm really sorry about the wait, things have been a little stressful as of late, but I'm back now and before we move onto Chapter Thirty Four can I just thank everyone for reviewing ect, they really made my day. So then, here is your new Chapter, I hope you all enjoy ;D**

**Chapter Thirty Four. Victoria's POV.**

"... I'm sorry about the inconvenience but I think my children will be better suited to home-schooling" I rolled my golden brown eyes in exasperation as I poured very ounce of sincerity I could muster into my tone, a slow smirk spread across my face, it was a good think the school receptionist had no idea who I was, because if she did, she'd hear the sardonic twinge colouring my voice.

"Were there any problems at the school or..." My fingers tightened around my phone dangerously, what part about 'My kids won't be attending your damn school' doesn't this human seem to understand?. I exhaled sharply, taking a moment to glance down at Esme while the receptionist ran down the list of reasons why I'd wanna pull the kids out of school. Me and Esme were still lounging around in bed with the sheets pooling at our waists, my mate was laying between my slightly spread legs with her head resting on my chest, her hands were drawing lazy circles on either side of my cotton covered ribs. Shifting slightly, I lifted my free arm and snaked it around her slender waist, eventually the shrill voice of the receptionist ranting in my ear drowned out. Esme tilted her head back, our eyes locked just as an amused smile curled her full lips upwards, I pursed my lips in mock contempt, seriously the school secretary was going to get one hell of a nightmare visit tonight if she didn't shut the hell up and let me enjoy the morning my Esme.

"...No!, There wasn't any problems with bullies. No, my children didn't find the classes too difficult. And No!, I'm not pulling them out of school because I have fourteen of them and I need help on the farm!, goodbye!" I got a little too much satisfaction out of slamming the receiver back into its cradle, only my six centuries of strict discipline kept my from exerting so much force that the phone shattered into a thousand tiny pieces, damn if it wasn't tempting idea though.

"Fucking humans and their dumbass ideas" I growled low in my throat, smiling widely and uncontrollably when I heard Esme laugh to herself, the melodious sound was the kind of glorious tune that birds tried to imitate, fat chance of them actually achieving something so perfect.

"Leave the humans alone, they can't help it if they're lacking imagination" Esme drawled, I tilted my head at her, arching my delicate eyebrow at her curiously.

"I should've just told her the truth, that would've shut her up at the beginning of our conversation..." I cast a inquisitive glance at the alarm clock on the nightstand to my right "...Almost an hour ago" I blinked dumbly, it was nine thirty in the morning, technically the kids should all be dressed and at school, but I had already decided that with what was going on as of late, we all had too much to worry about without having to worry about the school throwing a fit over lack of attendance.

"I thought Tanya was going to call the school" Esme frowned gently when I turned my attention back to my mate, savouring her warm of her body on top of mine and her sweet scent of vanilla that surrounded both of us and combined with my own scent flawlessly.

"She was..." I nodded, running my hands up and down her back, occasionally scraping my short nails over the minimal amount of soft bare skin I could find at her lower back where her shirt had ridden up, her involuntary shivers brought a smile to my face "...and I was perfectly fine with that, until she threatened to stick a bogus sexual harassment charge on the principle" I winced, I was pretty sure the older vampire had been joking at the time but it was Tanya, I never knew whether or not I should take her comments seriously or not, and neither did anyone else, only Kate and Irina seemed to be able to get a bead on their carefree sister and her moods.

"Can't say I'm surprised" Esme grinned fondly as she shook her head slowly.

"Exactly my point. But next time can you handle it?, I don't know if I can take anymore humans for the next century or two" I whined.

"Of course, but I gotta say I'm proud of you V, I fully expected you to growl at the receptionist...what was her name again?" Esme frowned.

"'Happy meal'...If I ever see her the street..." I drawled absently "...Ow!, dammit woman!" I exclaimed when she slapped my toned, left thigh, the resulting sting was nothing compared to the sound of her hand connecting with my skin, like granite boulders being shoved into each other, loud and unpleasant.

"The only person you eat around here is me, got that?" Esme warned with a seductive smile, my mouth fell open in surprise, when had my delicious mate ever been so...provocative...I loved it.

"Yes ma'am" I drawled, letting my half lidded eyes and sultry smirk do the talking for me. Her eyes darkened and narrowed suspiciously. I hissed gently when she suddenly shifted, with vampire speed, she was straddling my svelte hips, her dainty hands were encircling my wrists and pinning them to the pillow beneath my head.

"Feeling hungry V?" Esme purred, a slow shiver of desire slithered my and down my spine, making every inch of my body tingle with awareness.

"Ravenous..." With a soft sigh I tensed my abdomen and sat up straight on the heavenly soft mattress so that, instead of straddling my hips, Esme was nestled in my lap, I wrapped my arms around her waist tightly "...And lookie here, I've caught me some sweet tasting vampire" I nuzzled my face into the crook of her neck, inhaling her scent deeply into my lungs, nipping at the impossibly soft skin beneath my lips with my teeth. She shuddered violently before she sank her hands into my unruly mane of red hair, my eyes fluttered closed when I felt her nails scrap gently across my scalp as a soft gasp escaped her. Taking that as silently encouragement, I parted my lips and ran my tongue from the base of her neck, up to the ethereal shell of her ear, I closed my mouth and nuzzled that sensitive area behind her ear, with each unneeded breath I breathed more of her delicious scent combined with that of her bodywash and shampoo. I had little warning before she tilted her head towards me, my eyes opened of their own accord, I smirked in satisfaction when I caught a glimpse of her jet black eyes. My simpering didn't last long though, her hands, tangled in my hair, tightened to the point of pain before she leaned in closer to me. I closed the distance between our lips eagerly, for a brief moment, in the instant our lips met it almost felt like my heart had begun beating again. I loved it when our lips first touched tenderly, each time they seemed even softer and sweeter than they had the last time. I was distantly aware of moaning loudly as she started moving her lips against mine sensually, my arms tightened around her smaller form, I titled my head back ever so slightly, giving control over to her.

"Victoria!..." I jerked back from Esme reluctantly, we shared a dumbfounded look before I realised that it was Bella calling my name from outside mine and Esme's bedroom door, I rested my forehead against Esme's and groaned mournfully, Esme's resulting laugh sounded as sweet as her lips had tasted.

"Damn cock-blocking child!...or the female equivalent!" I shouted loudly, I had a second before I realized my mistake.

"Yeah Bella don't interrupt the 'rents when they're getting their thing on!, I kinda get off listening to them!" Tanya laughed hysterically, I could just imagine what Jasper looked like at that very moment. It really sucked, living in a house filled with fellow vampires and their God-forsaken hawk like hearing.

"We live in a nut house" I whined under my breath, Esme stroked my back as she snickered to herself.

"Go on, see what she wants, its gotta be important. You know she doesn't like to leave Rose and the twins..." Esme urged, sliding out of my lap and rearranging herself on our bed, I stared at her gorgeous body longingly "...And then we can pick this up where we left off" Esme laughed, a low seductive note that made my breath catch in the back of my throat.

"This had better be important..." I murmured grumpily as I climbed out of bed, I froze when I felt Esme's hand connect with my firm backside in a loud, stinging slap "...Thats not playing fair babe"

**Bella's POV.**

"So what is this about?, you bloody sex Nazi" Victoria growled, her English accent was noticeable thicker. I grinned widely as my mother sat down next to my at the kitchen island, Victoria had hastily put on a pair of designer jeans and a long sleeved v-neck shirt, the reason I knew they had been put on hastily was because the fly of Victoria's jeans was open and the buttons keeping the two edges of the shirt together weren't done up properly.

"Akasha and Elena" I answered bluntly. Victoria's expression abruptly turned dark and I caught her hands balling into fists in her lap before she could hide it.

"Ahem...What about them?" Victoria asked, tilting her head to the side curiously. I smiled fondly at my mother, I could see how much she wanted to shoot off questions about how things went yesterday, I had to appreciate the fact she was resisting. It didn't stop the aura she was giving off though, Victoria definitely wasn't at ease with me around my biological parents, it was understandable, which was why I had to talk to her away from everyone else. That and Rosalie had reminded me how much Victoria wanted to pick a fight with them and that was a no go area, first because I was interested in building a relationship with Akasha and Elena and second, because Victoria wouldn't last two milliseconds in a fight with them. And I didn't want the vampire that I would always consider my mother and mentor to get off on a bad note with Akasha and Elena.

"Well I was thinking that, since I'm going be spending a lot of time with them and we have more than enough room here..." I began.

"Oh hell you wanna move them in" Victoria hissed, leaping to her bare feet as she began pacing the kitchen, I winced as I followed her jerky movements, anger and maternal instinct were pouring off of her in waves. I crossed my arms under my breasts and gave her moment to calm down a little. I caught a soft hitch in her breathing before she settled with her hip resting against one of the black marble counters.

"Its your decision" Victoria blurted out with a barely restrained snarl.

"Look V, its for convenience sake, this way we can get the bulk of the training out of the way quicker." I tried to sooth, but the growls falling from Victoria's lips were just getting louder and louder, echoing through the marble kitchen. No doubt the rest of our family upstairs could hear everything that was being said, but I ignored that simple fact and focused on Victoria.

"But you want to get to know them right?, I mean they are your parents" Victoria growled, her eyes were darker than coal.

"It takes more than just giving birth to be a parent V..." I murmured gently "...But yeah I'm gonna try to work at building a relationship with them. But not if makes you feel like I'm pushing you out because you've been more of a mom to me than they have or anyone else for that matter, hell I can't even remember what Renee looked like" I had never told anyone that, except Rosalie, it had hurt that I couldn't remember anything about my adoptive human mother. But the pain had dimmed over the years because I had Victoria and I knew that my vampire mother would always be a part of my life, always.

"You forget things when you're turned into a vampire" Victoria whispered softly, obviously trying to shrug off the importance of what I'd just said, but her eyes were shinning brightly with tears that could never fall.

"But I'm not a vampire anymore and technically I never was" I smiled softly when her head jerked up so she could look at me.

"Ain't that the truth kiddo" Victoria sighed, brining her hands up to her ageless face so she could rub her eyes, she wasn't even attempting to be discreet about it, my smile grew bigger.

"So?, are you okay with them being here?" I held my breath as I waited for an answer from my mother. Victoria nibbled on her lower lip as she considered the question. I could see the initial rejection that glowed in her black eyes, but she didn't say anything so I kept silent. Minutes or hours later, I couldn't be sure, her eyes cleared, returning to their brilliant golden hue.

"Sure, why not?..." There was a catch I could tell from the mischievous twinkle in her eyes "...So long as they're here though you gotta use my title and thats, 'Mom' to you missy" Victoria drawled. I couldn't hold back the laughter that bubbled out of my chest.

"You're just trying to piss them off aren't you?" I chuckled. I probably shouldn't, I could just imagine the fight that was gonna break out if Victoria did manage to get on the wrong side of Akasha and Elena.

"Yep..." Victoria nodded earnestly "...I'm sorry Bells but I just don't like them and maybe that'll change in time, but they're gonna have to work to change my opinion"

"Thats fair enough, but please, be on your best behaviour, for me?" I pouted slowly, knowing exactly how to manipulate my mother.

"...Not with the pout, come on!..." Victoria cursed after a long silence "...Fine I won't deliberately pick a fight, but the moment they-"

"Ah! Don't wanna hear it" I interrupted, sliding off the stool I had just been perched on, Victoria smirked wickedly to herself as I walked over to her with my hands shoved into the back pockets of my pants.

"Yeah you're right, none of my plans are for delicate ears" Victoria's grin grew wider, I shook my head slowly at the typical comment.

"So can I get a hug from my dear 'ole mom now?" I pulled my hands out of my pockets and opened my arms expectantly.

"Less with the 'old' missy" Victoria sniffed indigently, before I suddenly found myself in a bear hug that would've made Emmett proud, I grunted gently as she wrapped her strong arms around my shoulders, I could actually feel my shoulders creaking under her hold. Mirroring Victoria's evil smirk I snaked my arms around her waist and squeezed, just a little.

"Wow you do have a iron grip" Victoria breathed with a wince, I loosened my hold and rested my head on my mother's shoulder.

"Wonder where I get that from?" I drawled, Victoria chuckled softly as her hold disentangled slightly. We stayed like that for a while, seemed like it had been years since I got one of Victoria's hugs, they were nothing in comparison to that of my mate, but still, it was nice to be held by my mom.

"So I'm glad we had this conversation...kinda" Victoria breathed with blatantly fake nonchalance as we drew apart.

"Yeah me too" I nodded, trying not to sound too sarcastic, I caught Victoria's eye and me both snickered together as we headed back to the staircase and our respective mates.

**Alexia's POV.**

"Nightie night little vampire" I chuckled maliciously as Corin promptly passed out with a weak moan, I withdrew my fingers from the tight clasp of her tight cunt, still clenching my fingers with aftershocks, before I extracted myself from her long limbs, and climbed off my bed, somehow managing to avoid the other two very female and very naked bodies strewn across the mattress, I rolled my eyes mockingly.

"Peyral!" As far as I knew my brother was still in his room across the Volturi compound but it wouldn't take long for my brother to arrive after he heard me calling.

"What is it?" I smirked when my slightly shorter brother stepped into my room, not bothering with the knocking thing, back home we lived in open spaces, everyone saw everything and everyone heard everything, it was why we needed more territory. The younglings of our kind were causing too many problems, personally I would love to rip all them apart, slowly, limb from limb. I licked my lips slowly, I could just imagine the stark fear in their eyes as death came for them with steely fingers.

"Has Lyssandra and Jax dragged their asses here yet?" I expected Peyral to shift uncomfortably at the name of his betrothed, Lyssandra had been hunting with me since we were children and she came from a very prominent _Sicarii _family, it was no wonder my father had arranged for my brother to take her as his mate.

"No, not yet" Peyral folded his hands behind his back and managed to keep a blank expression pinned to his face, it was really unfortunate that I could see right through it.

"I probably should've put some clothes on before I called you in here huh?" I drawled absently reaching for a silk sheet that was pooled at my bare feet, I brought it up to hide my body from my brother's soft eyes, not for my modesty's sake, hell I didn't care if I had a hundred eyes on my naked body, but it was making my brother uncomfortable, hence the reason his eyes were trained on the wall above my head, no doubt.

"We're _Sicarii _Lexi" Peyral said plainly, his gentle voice took on grateful tone,

"Yes we are" I narrowed my cold eyes on him, for a member of the _Sicarii _my brother seemed very...unenthusiastic...about our upcoming hunt, I had every intention of tracking the fae once Lyssandra and Jax arrived at Volterra, little did my brother know that I had only called them here because I seriously doubted that Peyral would actually bring himself to participate in our hunt. And if my suspicions were founded then he would never be able to return home, he would be seen as a shameful abomination by every _Sicarii _including our father. I had already informed Lyssandra and Jax of what their real purpose was, if things took a turn for the worst then they would take Peyral and run, I had faith in them to keep my brother safe from the rest of our kind, who would hunt him to restore strength and honour to the _Sicarii._

"Enjoying Aro's gifts again?" Peyral smirked, well what passed for a smirk from my brother, it looked more like a half-smile. I shook my head regretfully, I had made a mistake bringing him with me, he was too soft on all accounts. I should have just taken the assignment myself.

"Thoroughly-" I lifted my head and stared straight into his eyes, not for the first time I found myself wondering why his eyes seemed to be an extremely dark brown rather than just black like mine "-You know Lyss won't complain if you enjoy yourself a little" I commented bluntly, I knew for a fact that Lyssandra had no intention of remaining faithful to my brother if he was successful in our hunt, of course she wouldn't go near any other _Sicarii _until she had given my brother a child so no one could question legitimacy but after that, well it was likely to turn into a free-for-all.

"None of these vampires are my type" Peyral stated, I rolled my eyes, I knew exactly what this problem was, and it wasn't the fact that none of the Volturi guards were tall redheads with a pair of sinfully long legs. Peyral was still deluding himself into thinking that he could be happy with Lyssandra, I don't doubt that she will make him very happy in bed, but as far as love goes. _Sicarii _didn't marry for love, we married who our parents told us to and we didn't complain, the main concern for married _Sicarii _was to produce the next generation of hunters, simple as, and after that they were free to seek out their pleasure wherever they found it. No _Sicarii _had found their soulmate in over six thousand years, not since the break of our alliance with the Fae, some of kind thought that we simply weren't bred for love, others thought that our mates were among the Fae. I was inclined to agree with the former.

"Of course not, they're not 'gifted' enough in the chest area" I smirked mockingly, I was certain that Peyral had never known the touch of a woman, or man for that matter, he was saving himself for his 'beloved', I snorted in disbelief, he'd be better off fucking everything that gave him the look. Lyssandra did.

"I think I love Lyss" I laughed inwardly at the innocent wonderment that coloured his voice and his strange brown eyes.

"If it is love, then good for you" I drawled instead of laughing out loud, my taut abdomen tensed beneath the silk sheet as I swallowed the somewhat cruel laugh desperately wanting to break free.

"Let me know when your Lady love and Jax arrives will you?" I murmured, dismissing him in my own way, I waited until the door softly clicked shut before I leaned back on the mattress, ignoring the three comatose vampires that surrounded me. If I'd had my doubts before, then Peyral had just confirmed them, he wasn't ready for the hunt and probably never would be. Disappointment lined my stomach as I stared up at the beautifully decorated stone ceiling, runes from another age had been painstakingly carved into the polished grey rock. It was hard to believe that someone born of my bloodline would bring the ultimate shame upon my kind, but no matter, I would keep my brother safe whatever the cost, it was the one thing besides killing that I was good at and that I enjoyed.

**Rosalie's POV.**

"Jesus Christ on crutch I can't watch" I whined loudly, holding my right hand over my neon blue eyes, sat beside me in the dinning room, I heard Bella chuckling to herself.

"Its not that bad" Bella took my left hand in hers and began rubbing her thumb over my dormant pulse point soothingly, I lifted my long slender fingers slightly and risked a peak at the sight over in the corner.

"God she looks like a marble!" I exclaimed and hid behind my hand again.

"Its not like he is gonna drop her babe" Bella laughed once again, but I could hear the soft tones of worry in her voice which made me feel less like one of those mom's who just can't let their children play with other kids.

"I don't care, go save her" I dropped my hand away from my eyes and looked expectantly at my mate. Bella pursed her lips and arched her elegant dark eyebrow in a sardonic tilt.

"You're right, she is fine, she is fine with Emmett" I took a deep breath and returned my attention to Emmett and Ashley, my brother was sat at the end of the table, a little ways away from me and Bella, Ashley was held securely in his large hands as he jiggled her on his knee, Ashley was waving her hands around and squealing happy.

"Where is Lucas?" I blurted out, glancing around the dinning room, panic sucker punched me in the stomach when I didn't immediately find my little boy, Kate had been holding him when I taken cover from the two playing at the bottom of the table.

"Rose, just breath baby...Kate was going to introduce him to the mountain of toys everyone got them" Bella said gently, I smiled at my mate nervously, I wasn't surprised when Bella moved her chair closer to mine, I wasn't even aware of moving until suddenly I was climbing into Bella's lap and wrapping my arms around her neck tightly.

"So when I go totally insane-" I began sarcastically.

"You're not going insane..." Bella interrupted me "...Its perfectly natural" Her arms snaked around my slender waist, she leaned upwards and planted a gentle kiss on my cheek. I smiled at the sweet comment, I tilted my head to the side, catching her eyes, my smile transferred into a sensual smirk. I brushed my lips across hers tenderly before I slowly pulled back, I was not doing anymore because I could feel Emmett's golden brown eyes on us, the only reason he wasn't making a lewd comment was because he had Ashley on his knee.

"Yeah thats what the fae is saying among other things" I grinned when she laughed softly, I loved the sound of her laughter, the way it made me tingle in contentment. I shifted closer to my mate, if that was possible. I rested my head on top of hers, feeling her nuzzle her face into my neck. I could feel a rumbling purr emit from deep in my chest, the involuntary act spoke louder than words ever could. I had only purred for Bella, Ashley and Lucas, the three people I loved most in the world.

"So when are Akasha and Elena showing up?" I murmured quietly as I nuzzled the to of her head, luxuriating in her natural scent of freesia and jasmine, I knew mine was the same as hers but it seemed so much more exquisite coming from her.

"Ah they said I should call them, giving them the 'all clear' type of thing" Bella replied with a shrug, I slowly began stroking her back, the soft cotton of her shirt pressed into my fingertips.

"Your phone is in your ass pocket, where I put it" I grinned widely, making sure only Bella could hear me, I was _not _going to be teaching my daughter any kind of swear words.

"See I knew you weren't just grabbing my ass" Bella drawled sarcastically with a loving half-smile.

"What can I say?, your backside is fine but I just gotta make sure you have your phone on you at all times, GPS tracking you know" I laughed at the mockingly shocked look she painted onto her beautiful face.

"You trying to say you don't trust me?, oh ouch that kinda hurts" We both laughed gently just as Kate returned with Lucas held safely in her arms.

"He didn't want anything" She exclaimed, planting herself in a hard-backed chair opposite me and Bella. I trailed my eyes over his little body carefully, maternal instinct was undeniable.

"Did he tell you that?" Bella smirked at the glower Kate sent her, I twisted around in Bella's lap so I could keep an eye on both Ashley and Lucas, both of my children looked to be having fun with 'Aunt Katie' and 'Uncle Em' as we'd started calling them for the twin's sake.

"You'd be surprised what Lucas here tells me..." Kate waggled her eyebrows playfully "...But no, I went through every damn toy down there and he just got this look..." Kate suddenly looked at me accusingly "...The same one you used to get when a human hit on you"

"Oh that 'You're nothing but a bug beneath my Prada heels'. That look?" Bella asked, her arms tightened around my waist possessively, my mouth fell open, what was this, gang on Rosalie day?.

"Put you in your place pretty quick" I retorted quickly, it was Bella's turn to look insulted. I tilted my head and gave my mate a dazzlingly arrogant smirk.

"Hey I like my place baby, right on top of you" Bella winked playfully.

"Yo! there is kids in the room..." Emmett complained "...But if you two wanna continue that a little later?" Emmett grinned, until Kate growled at him, there was very little heat behind the rumble but it was enough to cool Emmett off with a pout.

"Anyway, back to Akasha and Elena..." I prompted Bella with a look.

"Yeah I'll call 'em in a bit" Bella nodded softly, I drew circular patterns on her strong back, over her shirt.

"So they're really moving in huh?" Kate asked as she sat Lucas on her knee, his head was supported by her stomach.

"Yeah, you know V seems okay with it..." Bella nodded with a barely visible wince, the atmosphere in the dinning room grew tense as we all lapsed into silence.

"So how do you guys think Jasper is gonna propose?" I asked quietly, Tanya was just down the hall in the living room, antagonising Carmen and Alice who were changing pretty much everything from wallpaper to furniture, I wouldn't be surprised if they wanted to reshape the damn thing. They wanted to get as much work in as they could before we all left for Italy after Bella's training.

"He hasn't said anything to me" Emmett sighed, as he cradled Ashley against his broad chest, I smiled at the sight of my brother holding my daughter, didn't know where those crazy ideas of him dropping her came from, but at least they weren't pestering me now. I caught Ashley yawn tiredly before I turned back to Kate.

"I don't even know how Tanya would want to be proposed to, our human lives didn't exactly involve that possibility" Kate's eyes shut slowly, she bit her lip and tilted her head downwards slightly, towards Lucas. I frowned gently at Bella, my mate shared my look.

"Oh yeah?" Emmett murmured gently, his eyes were shinning inquisitively.

"Yeah you know it was a long time ago, its not important any more" Kate shrugged dismissively, when she lifted her head, I couldn't help but notice her eyes were coal black.

"Really?" Emmett muttered. I sent him a dark look, I knew he was frustrated that he didn't know anything about his mate's past but seriously, couldn't he see she was upset?. He lowered his head regretfully before he stood up carefully with Ashley in his bulky arms.

"I think this little one wants her momma" I rearranged myself in Bella's lap so I could hold my arms out for my baby girl and still manage to keep my balance. I gave a nervous looking Emmett an encouraging smile as he carefully settled Ashley into my arms, I drew her against my chest protectively while Emmett headed around the table towards Kate. My eyes found themselves trained on Ashley's angelic face, her neon blue eyes were half-closed and her breathing was evening out. I rested my head on Bella's shoulder as I watched our daughter slip into sleep's embrace. Bella lifted her hand slowly and took Ashley's much smaller one in hers, subconsciously our daughter opened her hand and latched onto Bella's forefinger with a strong grip. I smiled slowly, I loved moments like this, when the world outside the mansion ceased to exist in my mind and I could just relish the loving presence of my mate and our children, even if it was Kate holding Lucas. I cast a glance over to the other end of the table, Emmett was crouched in front of Kate, whispering softly, not so softly that I couldn't hear him but I had no intention of eavesdropping on the two, I just wanted to make sure Lucas was okay. My baby boy was looking back at me, perceiving that my eyes were on him, he held his little arms out, his lower lip quivered as though he was about to start crying. I gasped in surprise when Bella suddenly lifted me and Ashley up, bridal style, I found myself being placed gently on the chair while Bella headed around the table at a brisk pace.

"Hey Kate, mind if I?" Bella didn't wait for a response because Lucas chose that moment to release a loud cry, my chest tightened painfully at the shrill sound, Ashley stirred in my arms, as if sensing her twin's distress. Lucas fell quiet when Bella lifted him into her arms and began murmuring to him comfortingly. Lucas gurgled gently, I stood up cautiously, making sure that I didn't accidentally wake Ashley, when I was certain she was sleeping soundly, I started for the door to the dinning room just as Tanya burst in.

"Where is the...aww" Tanya drawled when her eyes landed on a sleeping Ashley. I smiled at my older sister before I caught Bella's eyes and tilted my head towards the staircase, it was definitely time to put these little ones to bed. I waited for Bella to reach my side with our son cradled in her arms before stepping out of the dinning room.

"Alright what did you do now Kate?" I heard Tanya ask her younger sister as me and Bella began assenting the mosaic stairs, heading towards the twin's bedroom. Me and Bella stayed silent as we reached the top of the stairs and took the hallway straight in front of us. The light-coloured, high fibre count carpet beneath my cerulean blue, open-toed heels complemented the dark wallpaper perfectly. Taking a right corner at the end of the hall we walked past four sets of polished oak doors until we came to the twins room, just past our own, their room was the only one on this floor of the mansion with a set of double doors leading in. Thankfully I'd remembered to leave the doors slightly ajar so I didn't have to worry about disturbing Ashley as she slept soundly in my arms. I used my left foot to push the doors open, a wave of freesia and jasmine fluttered past me as I stepped into the room with Bella close behind me. I went over to the large crib, the blankets were already pulled down, I reluctantly settled Ashley onto the soft mattress, she didn't give any indication that she was about to stir so I took a step back and waited for Bella to lay Lucas next to his sister. I moved closer just as Bella tucked the collection of white blankets under their little arms. I slipped my arms around my mate and together we stayed there, watching our children sleep, I rested my head on Bella's shoulder as her arms went around my waist. I snuggled closer to Bella, savouring her warm body pressing into mine, each curve of her body pressed into mine perfectly.

"They're starting to look more like you" I mused quietly, sure they had my hair colour but I was starting to see a lot more of Bella's genetic influence where the twin's features were concerned.

"Are you kidding me?, they're all you" Bella denied with a soft shake of her head. I tilted my head at her slowly, was there really much point in arguing with her? Over who our children looked like.

"So you wanna call Akasha and Elena now?" I changed the subject.

"Yeah I better had" Bella sighed. I leaned forward and kissed my mate tenderly, she sighed gently and leaned into me firmly, every inch of her gorgeous body pressed into me, I was tingling in awareness of our close proximity.

"Come on" I urged against her full lips. I smiled when I felt her pout against my mouth. I reached around my back and forcibly untangled her arms from around my waist, I clasped her right hand in my left, bringing her hand up to my mouth I pressed a feather-light kiss to her knuckles, before I used my hold on her to pull her towards the door.

"We can play later though right?" Bella prompted as she used her free hand to pull the doors closed behind us.

"If you're good" I drawled with a seductive smile.

**Jane's POV.**

"Demon spawn!" I grunted loudly when Felix hauled me into his massive arms. Jacob's possessive snarl echoed around the snow-covered gardens.

"Put me down you gay beast of burden" I wiggled furiously, it was not a pleasant feeling. Being swung around by six foot four wall of muscle, I felt like a sack of potatoes, hanging over Felix's broad shoulder as I was with my face mere inches away from Felix's taut lower back. I smirked evilly, maybe I should just...

"Ow!..." Felix howled as he dropped me unceremoniously, I didn't even have to twist around so my feet landed on the ground because Jacob was suddenly jerking me into _his _arms, for God's sake, I was among the most lethal vampires in creation, I didn't fucking need bulky guys man-handling me like I was a damn wall-flower "...You bit me!" Felix whined, I rolled my golden brown eyes as Jacob set me back on the ground, _behind _him. His protectiveness was cute even though it was unneeded.

"Lets face it Felix I could've done a lot worse" I drawled back to my fellow _Ex_-Volturi guard?, Felix was rubbing his lower back with a pain filled since on his classically handsome face. It suddenly occurred to me that I hadn't used my gift in over a month, I shifted on the balls of my bare feet, I was only wearing Jacob's old T-shirt and that was it, the worn grey material provided more than enough coverage, ending just above my knees.

"You know this tool?" Jacob growled when Felix took a step closer to us. I placed my hand on my mate's massive back, he was only wearing a pair of cut-offs, leaving his gorgeous upper body bare to the eye.

"This idiot is Felix, don't pay attention to his size he is harmless" I supplied, Jacob didn't relax but he did stop growling, I had a tiny feeling that was due to my stroking his corded muscles soothingly though.

"He might be harmless but I'm not" I heard Heidi's melodious voice behind me, turning on my heel I found the taller vampire lingering on the out skirts of the snow blanketed forest, Jake turned as well, his dark eyes narrowed dangerously. He was starting to shake, signalling that he was on the verge of shifting into his massive russet wolf counterpart. I had only seen his wolf once, I tilted my head, suddenly realising that I wanted to know whether or not his fur was as soft as it had looked.

"What are you two doing here?" I hissed, behind Heidi I could hear light footsteps padding towards our little gathering, from the buoyant weight of the newcomer I could tell it was a woman.

"Hey you're back..." Irina suddenly appeared behind Heidi, I frowned when I saw the Russian vampire pull Heidi into her arms, holy hell, I always wanted to know who Heidi's mate was, guess I just got my answer, I wasn't surprised though, when I'd first met Irina I'd found myself imagining the two together "...So how was your 'vacation'?" Irina smirked knowingly as she nuzzled her face into the crook of Heidi's neck.

"Very enjoyable" I winked playfully at the slightly younger vampire, Irina seemed stunned that I hadn't growled at her.

"So whats going on, why are they here?" Suspicion was evident in Jacob's deep baritone, I couldn't blame him, I was little unnerved as well.

"We left the Volturi" Felix stated the obvious as he continued to rub his lower back, I rolled my eyes mockingly, could he be more of a drama queen?.

"Obviously Felix..." Heidi drawled as she leaned back into Irina "...Irina is my mate, Chelsea is...courting...Maria and Felix has fallen desperately in love with the escalades" I caught Felix flipping the little birdie at Heidi out the corner of my eye.

"Chelsea is here too?" My eyebrows raised all on their own, of all the Volturi I would never have though Chelsea would leave, after three thousand years of servitude, must be down to Maria.

"Yeah, haven't seen her today though" Heidi frowned.

"Maybe we should take this inside, our new roomates should be arriving soon" Irina prompted with a tilted of her head.

"'New roomates'?" I echoed with frown of my own.

**Alice's POV.**

"...Mmmhm hey Jacob, Jane" I murmured distractedly while carefully measuring the width of the living room with a tape measure, I was pretty sure I had it nailed after taking six individual measurements but one could never be too cautious when it came to interior design, or any kinda design for that matter.

"Hey pixie" Jacob drawled as Leah and Seth flocked around him, Alec and Jane were close by. I glanced at the tape measure in my hand and then back to my family. I guess I really should say something legible for the first time today, I placed the tape measure on one of the numerous boxes littering the construction site that used to be our living room before Rose got her hands on it.

"So how long have Chelsea, Heidi and Felix been here?" I heard Jane ask Alec quietly as I reluctantly walked over to them, man maybe I do have a problem, I've been in the living room since the crack of dawn, mentally rearranging everything that Carmen and Esme had put in place, I hadn't gotten around to actually changing any of it yet.

"Oh thank Christ the fashion demon has finally left my mate, baby I missed you" I pursed my lips up at Leah while she drew me into her arms, Leah licked her full lips and shrugged.

"Its true" Leah nodded at Seth and Jacob, I glared mockingly at the two larger shifters, although I am lucky to have a mate like Leah, she hadn't made a single complaint all day, even though I'd more or less been ignoring her. God I'm terrible mate, great designer but terrible mate.

"Hey I was just thinking about taking you to dinner but now...I think the demon might be coming back" I tensed in her lithe arms, ready to attempt at extracted my tiny frame from them.

"Dinner you say?" Leah's arms tightened stubbornly, I nodded, I tilted my head back so I could look up at her. Her dark eyes were twinkling mischievously, I smiled, she looked so beautiful, I sighed dreamily.

"Yep there is a nice place in town, a family place thats been around for like seventeen generations. I knew the first owner..." I rambled "...Anyway if you're gonna want steak then its not gonna happen but they do local stuff like fish, elk, deer, the occasional bear" I froze at the hungry looks on all the shifters face's.

"Jane, Alec. Help me" I called over to the older vampires, they were by their respective mate's sides instantly.

"What is wrong?" Jane murmured, I smiled when I saw her stroke Jacobs massive forearm in concern. I looked back at Leah when I suddenly heard a loud growl, but it didn't actually sound like-

"Is anyone else really hungry right about now?" Leah looked up at Seth and Jacob, the bigger shifters just nodded.

"Guess Dinner is turning into lunch then huh?" I arched my eyebrow up at my mate, Leah laughed sheepishly.

"I'm gonna go and get changed then" I waited for Leah to let me go...and I waited and waited "...This is the part where you're supposed to let me go" I smiled lovingly up at my shifter.

"Hey you mind if we tag along?" Seth asked with a wave of his hand.

"Like a triple date...sure, if I can just get changed first?" It sounded like a question even to me.

"Yeah I'm gonna give you a hand" I laughed at the provocative smirk on Leah's face.

"We should probably put some clothes on too" Jane murmured to Jacob, the Alpha shifter nodded, my jaw dropped when Jacob lifted Jane into his massive arms with a wicked grin, the blonde vampire squealed as he carried her, bridal style, towards the staircase.

"Holy shit did you guys see that?..." I exclaimed excitedly, Seth and Alec looked like they'd just seen Big-foot walk across the yard, I imagine Leah wore a similar expression, only she would've looked a lot more attractive, I leaned back against Leah's warm body with a content sigh.

"I never thought that...well..." Alec was dumbfounded, Seth smiled down at his mate while he pulled Alec close to him.

"Jacob must have banged some sense into her" Leah chuckled, I couldn't halt the laughter that fell out of my mouth, even Seth and Alec shared a laugh.

"Come on babe, lets go get changed" I patted Leah's supple thigh, the place we were going to was four stars and I was not letting my mate show up in a pair of really short jeans shorts and a tank top, plus this was Alaska so they'd probably ship the shifters off to a mental hospital after they figured out how someone could survive in seventy below weather wearing summer clothes.

"I should probably change too" Seth speculated, I gave him a quick nod after appraising his scantly clothed body.

"Shirt and tie Sethy boy, beneath the usual collection of coats and other bulky stuff" I smiled at Alec's formal attire while pulling Leah towards the stairs.

"We got time for a shower, do you think?" Leah whispered into my ear, I shivered gently.

"I'll get the lotion" I smirked at Leah's soft moan.

**Jasper's POV.**

"...So what did ya wanna talk to me about sexy?" Tanya wiggled her eyebrows slowly. I had managed to corner my mate in the dinning room with Irina, Heidi and Felix. I couldn't even remember what I'd said to draw my mate any from the rest of our family.

"Jazz you're kinda worrying me now" Tanya frowned solicitously. I took a deep breath, the engagement ring was in the front pocket of my slacks, it felt like I had a bunch of hot coals pressing into my silk covered thigh instead though.

"I wanna show you somethin'" I smiled at the sardonic light that switched on in Tanya's golden coloured eyes. I waited patiently for the sarcastic comment I could hear coming my way.

"Oh don't tell me..." Tanya brought her fingers up to her red lips and pretended to think really hard "...It involves a nine inch c..."

"Lemme stop you right there" I interrupted, the last thing I needed right now was for her to distract me from my main objective, today was the day, I was gonna propose to the woman I loved. The jewelry box suddenly seemed heavier. I couldn't remember another time I'd felt this nervous, not since I was a human anyway. I took another deep breath, trying to get control over my nerves by remembering Rose's words from yesterday.

"_She'll say 'yes' so fast you'll get whiplash"_

Man I hope Rose was right, it wasn't unknown to me that plenty of mated vampires didn't actually get married, after all, finding one's mate formed a stronger connection that a piece of paper from the humans ever could, and Tanya was an ancient vampire it was entirely possible that my mate could believe in the former. But to me, going through the wedding process was the ultimate way of telling Tanya how much I loved her, hell I could say it til I'm blue in the face but words could never really convey the sincerity of emotion.

"Will you come up stairs with me?" I almost growled at myself when I realised what kind of impression I'd just given Tanya.

"Mmmhm, what are you going to do to me huh?" Tanya purred, I tried to ignore the flutter of arousal that suddenly caressed my body at his beguiling tone.

"Down kitty..." I drawled when Tanya slid closer to me, I could scent the luscious scent of her lust, closing my eyes I focused on the solid weight of the engagement ring in my pocket.

"Wow why do I get the feeling that this is serious?..." Tanya sighed dramatically, I smiled lovingly "...You're I love you baby, lets go..." Tanya poked her head around the corner, looking back into the dinning room "...Irina, deal me out. We were playing poker..." Tanya explained when she caught sight of my confused frown.

"Now _I _wanted to play strip poker but what can I say, Irina is insanely possessive over Heidi" Tanya smirked as we walked towards the staircase, if I had a pulse my heart would be hammering in my ears, as it was I just felt kinda ill.

"What?" I growled, now I knew Tanya liked to flirt and there wasn't anything I could so to stop her, but _'strip poker!' _hell no there was no way I was gonna stand for that, not in a million years.

"Joke" Tanya drawled, my jealousy deflated almost instantly, guess I should've seen that coming. Tanya did like to play on my irrational jealousy.

"You're funny" I drawled sarcastically, as we pulled up in front of our bedroom, she went to open the door. I was quick to stop her by gently enclosing her slender wrist in my hand. I needed a second before we went in there. I hadn't been too sure about the idea when it came to me and now I was even more ambivalent about it.

"Jazz?..." Tanya looked at me expectantly. Steeling my nerve, I let go of her hand and stepped back, gesturing with my head that she should open the door ahead of me "...Are you okay babe, I don't need to get Eleazar to give you a once over do I?" Under the teasing tone I could hear her concern, I smiled as my chest swelled.

"I'm fine...just open the door" I urged. Jeez this wasn't even the worst bit and I was acting like a complete pansy. Tanya frowned even as she did as I suggested. I waited in the doorway as she stepped into our room, I'd carefully placed scented candles throughout our room, the white carpet was stained with red rose petals, I'd had Felix's help finding free roses in Alaska of all places, but the guy knew some non-human florists in Canada. It had been one hell of a trick getting them in and out without any of the family noticing, especially Tanya. While Tanya stood in the centre of our room, completely bewildered by the new décor and the soft lavender scent that filled the room, I hastily but silently stepped into the large room, pulling the solid oak door closed behind me with a soft click.

"Jazz what the..." She turned around to face me just as I fished out the engagement ring from my pocket and dropped to one knee. Her eyes went wide when she found me kneeling in front of her, I smiled brightly as her elegant hand came up to cover her mouth.

"I guess this is kind of a give-away..." I tried to joke, by the overwhelming emotion churning in my stomach stopped me from forcing a laugh, instead I opened the small velvet box in my hand, unveiling the priceless diamond ring inside to the soft candle light that illuminated the room "...Um, Tanya I know we have only just come to understand what we are to each other, but I know you're my world and I want, more than anything in the world, to spend the rest of my live makin' you happy and providin' you with everythin' you want and need, I wanna keep you safe from anything that would even attempt at hurtin' you..." Fuck my eyes were stinging as I stared up at her stunning face, her eyes were just as bright as mine and black as night "...Will you marry me?" I breathed, hardly more than a whisper.

"...No..." Tanya whispered with a violent shake of her, it felt like someone had just torn my heart out of my chest as the word echoed around the room, ringing in my ears. I swallowed the anguished groan that begged for it's freedom, I couldn't move as I looked at up at "...You don't want to marry me Jazz, you know nothing about me"

"Then fuckin' tell me!..." I roared, coming to my feet in predatory shift of corded muscle, I couldn't even bring myself to feel hurt when she retreated backwards in fear, nothing could possibly hurt more than the rejection constricting my chest "...I'm not some kind of fucking mind reader!, so tell me. What is so bad that you don't want to marry me huh?" I growled, hand hands balled into fists at my sides, the jewelry box bit into my palm, its mocking presence was almost enough to make me crush the fucking thing.

"C'mon Tanya I'm waiting!, what you already married or something, or maybe I don't mean as much to you as you mean to me, is that it?" Anger and hurt were dictating the words that sprang from my mouth, I knew I shouldn't even suggest that, but I couldn't stop myself.

"Don't you dare question how much I love you!" Tanya hissed back at me, I growled back at her, I would never hurt Tanya even if she had just rip my heart out my chest and stamped on it.

"That the thing Tanya, all I've been doing is asking myself questions for the past month because you won't open up a little to give me some answers. Well now is the time darlin', so start talkin' before I start walkin'!" Why in the fiery depths of hell did I just say that!, I would never leave her.

"I was a whore okay?..." Tanya yelled, overwrought emotion flickered across her face "...When I was a human I was a whore" Tanya whispered. I froze, all coherent thought fled as I stared back at my mate wordlessly.

"I don't want to marry you because...I've never felt good enough, for anyone, let alone my fucking mate. I know I never let it show, when you reach my age you learn how to hide those insecurities, but c'mon Jazz..." I flung the ring across the room, fuck where it landed I didn't care, I hauled Tanya into my arms and held on to her for fear life, how could she possibly think that she wasn't good enough for me?, if anything it was me who wasn't good enough for her.

"Why didn't you just tell me Tanya?" I murmured as I nuzzled the top of her head, inhaling her scent as I felt her arms snake around my lean waist tightly.

"How? and when? Jasper..." Tanya clung to me tightly "...Over the dinning room table or when we're in bed, and what would I fucking say, 'Hey babe did you know my bastard of a father sold me to whoever had half a coin' or 'Jazz when I was little more than a child my father whored me and Irina out with the promise that if we faked enjoyment he wouldn't do the same to Kate', but he fucking did Jazz, he ruined her life and I could do nothing for her or Irina" Tanya sobbed against my chest, I wanted to roar with rage, with anguish at the unjust treatment of my mate and her sisters when they were little more than girls, son of bitch had their father been alive I would've gouged his eyes out, skinned him alive, ripped out his scheming tongue, castrate him and leave him for the crows to feast on.

"Shh its over..." I soothed her gently "...Its not your fault, its not" I nuzzled the top of her head tenderly.

"How can I ever be good enough for someone after I let my baby sisters be raped, I never deserved to be happy Jazz..." Tanya whimpered.

"You didn't _let_ anythin' happen Tanya, you were just a kid..." I insisted, my eyes were burning as I held her to me "...And I can make you happy Tanya, if you let me..." She glanced up at me, the pain I could see in her dark eyes almost sent me to my knees "...Marry me..." I whispered "...Marry me" I repeated more gently.

"Jasper..." She bit her lower lip.

"I love you, only you. How can you not be good enough for me if I love you?..." I murmured, tightening my arms around her protectively "...Marry me?" I repeated a third time, gently kissing her forehead.

"Yes" Tanya whispered, I didn't have time to grin in elation because she was pulling me into a deep kiss.

**Bella's POV.**

"Is that true?" I took Rosalie's hand in mine as we silently watched Heidi turn to Irina with an expectant look. Irina looked at her mate through dark eyes, the Russian vampire swallowed hard.

"It was over a thousand years ago...Heidi!" Irina growled when the Ex-Volturi guard leapt to her feet and stormed out of the dinning room.

"How could not tell me something like that Irina!" Heidi snarled over her shoulder, Irina managed a whole half-millisecond before she clambered to her feet and stalked after her younger mate.

"Just when I thought things were going to settle down" Rosalie murmured gently, squeezing my hand firmly. I brought our entwined palms up to my lips, I pressed a lingering kiss to her knuckles, savouring the smile she gifted me with in response.

"C'mon Rose, you know better than to think things are gonna get dull around _here _of all places" I joked weakly, the atmosphere in the mansion was heavy after Tanya's revelation, I couldn't have blanked out their conversation even if I'd tried, I felt really bad for Tanya and Kate and Irina, to be put through that by their own father. It really put things into perspective when I considered my budding relationship with my parents, all they'd been trying to do was protect me.

"You think we should check on them?" Rosalie murmured with a worried expression, I pressed another loving kiss to her knuckles before I stood up, patiently waiting for her to do the same, I could hear a pair of light footsteps barrelling towards the mansion, faster than any vampire, and I instinctively knew they belonged to my biological parents.

"Give them a few hours, we'll check on them then" I promised my mate. Rosalie nodded her agreement as we headed towards the front door. I could hear each little sound of my family made as they moved around the house. As we reached the foyer it suddenly occurred to me that I could hear Jacob's deep voice mixed in with Jane's lighter tone.

"What do you think Jacob is gonna think?" Rosalie murmured, I shrugged to myself.

"I have no idea, its not that big of a deal though is it?. I mean Charlie might not have been my dad but that doesn't change the fact that we've been best friends since before I can even remember" I opened the front door as I spoke.

"So I was thinking..."

"'Bout what?" I smiled at my beautiful mate.

"The twin's God parents" Rosalie answered with a little wince, I pursed my lips, I hadn't even though of that, did the twins need God-parents, it wasn't like they were getting christened or anything.

"Do they need God-parents?" I asked as we waited out on the snow covered porch, Akasha and Elena were almost here, their footsteps were getting louder and louder.

"I think it would be nice" Rosalie stated thoughtfully.

"You know I'll give you whatever you want Rose, but that would mean we'd have to decided on like, four people, outta the entire family" I winced at the idea. I cared for all of my family but I could imagine picking between them.

"Good point..." Rosalie nodded "…Come to think of it, it would probably be easier if we left it like it is" Rosalie emphasised with a shiver.

"Evening..." I was jerked out of our conversation when I heard Akasha's lightly accented voice, I nodded gently in their direction "...Ready for training?" I noted that my biological mother was dressed in a pair of lose pants and a tank top, her whiter than white hair was tied back in a French plait.

"Already?" I exclaimed.

"No time like the present" Akasha tilted her head, her neon blue eyes were eerily focused in her ageless face, why did I get the feeling that this training session was going to be more like the Spanish inquisition.

"Nah guess not..." I turned to Rosalie "...Looks like I'm going out" I frowned to myself. Rosalie laughed breezily before she leaned in to kiss me gently. She pulled back way too quickly in my opinion but I was very aware of Akasha and Elena looking at us with an indecipherable look on their faces.

"And while you're out, I'll get Elena situated and introduce her to everyone"

**TBC. . .**

**AN: I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter, feel free to leave feedback and I'll be back with chapter Thirty Five in...I actually have no idea when I'll be back because school is picking up again, it totally sucks that I have to go back for the last term when I just had my exams but hey, I don't make the rules, God knows what would happen if I did ;p**


	35. Chapter 35

**Disclaimer:** Nothing is mine except Ocs, everything else belongs to Stephanie Meyer.

**Chapter Thirty Five, Bella's POV.**

"...Focus Bella!"

"Easy for you to say" I grunted as I pulled myself up off the snow covered ground, the pair of tight, dark blue jeggings I was wearing were plastered to my thighs as well as my black V-neck long sleeved T-shirt. The besprent materials made me feel off balance. Which was why my biological mother was kicking my ass all over the forest, gently in motherly sort of way, I snorted to myself as I traipsed back over to her, the thick blanket of snowfall would've been difficult for a human to wade through.

"Remind me why we're doing this?" I drawled when I was standing three feet in front of her, I was still stunned at how tall she was. And I wasn't exactly short. After Victoria turned me I grew like three or four inches, at the time we'd both been a little baffled over the change but now...I'm pretty sure it must be a Fae thing.

"Like I said before..._Sicarii _may bethe most vicious and remorseless killers in both histories but they're not without some honour..." Akasha began, the subtle flex of her lithe muscles was the only indication I got before she pounced, sailing through the air like a gilded arrow. I waited until I could feel the air around me begin to ripple with the force of her movements, had I been a vampire I wouldn't of even been aware that she'd leapt at me. I bent at the knees, my hamstrings tensed, I launched myself into the air, choosing a defensive action. I executed a perfect front-flip that carried me over Akasha. She'd been expecting the move, I noticed, when I landed on the ground and dropped into a defensive crouch, facing her with my hands braced on the cold ground. My mentor landed gracefully on her feet, a small smirk came to her flawlessly sculpted lips as she rested her elegant hands on the slight curve of her hips.

"'Honour'?, you told me that they slaughtered everyone of their own clan who mated a Fae" I frowned as she slowly began circling me, searching for a weakness in my posture. I lowered my head, the long dark tresses of my hair fell over my shoulders, closing my eyes I let my senses tell me where Akasha was. Listening to the soft crunch of snow under her boots, the barely detectable shift in the air surrounding us both, the drift of her scent that followed her as she circled me. The back of my neck began tingling suddenly. Instinctively I whirled around and rose up out of my crouch, in time to catch her fist in my left hand. Unlike that of a vampire or any other super natural being I didn't have to worry about how much pressure I exerted on Akasha's pale hand. A half-smile curved the right corner of her mouth upwards. Her other hand shot out faster than any bullet, clamping down my initial anxiety, I thrust out my arm, blocking her intended attack with my forearm.

"They did..." Akasha's disgust for the _Sicarii _was evident in her accented voice "...But the way they did it. Shows that they had minimal respect for the ones they killed" I don't know what the hell happened but suddenly the world was rolling around me as she used her superior strength to push me back, I stayed on the ground with the snow soaking into my already damp clothes for a second before I rolled back to my feet quickly with a frown tugging at my brow.

"Wanna explain?" I prompted. She smiled and nodded gently. We bother began circling each other. In the back of my mind I realised that every animal, big or small, had fled our make-shift practice arena.

"As you know, _Sicarii _are beings with immense strength, speed, stamina, endurance. We are the only species who comes even close to competing with them. Now if a member of their clan has proven themselves as a worthy hunter then if ever they were challenged by another _Sicarii, _they enter something called _Venatores duellum. _Which is basically a fight to the death, but no one else can intervene for either party." Akasha explained, all the while her neon blues eyes were assessing my bearing.

"I'm guessing that _Venatores-_thingy is a pretty old custom then?" I asked.

"As old as they are-" Akasha nodded, suddenly she was standing in front of me, I hadn't even detected a change in her position. Letting my instinct dictate what I should do, I found myself ducking under the fist that was suddenly flying towards my face, I encircled her wrist in my right hand and pulled her arm up behind her back, pulling tightly, had she been human I would've broken her arm "-Not bad" Akasha praised with a slight hitch in her breathing, I smiled discreetly behind her back, I felt her flex her hand in my iron grip. Abruptly, with her free arm, she bent the lightly muscled limb and slammed her elbow into my jaw. I literally saw stars as I was forced to let go of her, she spun around on her heel to face me, shaking off the ache in the arm I'd just been twisting.

"Before you mentioned something about 'both histories', what did you mean by that?" I murmured as we began circling each other again. I took a deep breath, we'd been at this for hours, and while I knew it was vital for Akasha to get a sense of my abilities, I was beginning to feel the alluring call of home. Glancing up at the grey sky, and making an educated guess, I'd say it was closing in on half-past six in the evening. My thoughts drifted away from my training session. Back at the mansion Rose would probably be waiting for Ashley and Lucas to wake up for their seven o'clock feed, my mate would be sitting on the loveseat that we'd put in nursery for when the twins were asleep and we just couldn't pull ourselves away from them. I smiled adoringly at the image. I cursed loudly when I felt my feet being swept out from beneath me, once again, I was back in the thick snow, mother nature's white blanket was beginning to feel like a second home.

"If I was Alexia you'd be dead..." Akasha growled, she was looming over me, maternal worry had darkened her neon blue eyes until all I could see was a pool of black, nothing else, even the sclera had gone black. It was eerie sight like looking in to the eyes of a shark.

"Sorry" I grumbled, she held out her hand for me to take. I reached out and slipped my hand into hers, one would think I weight about the same as a feather with all the effort she needed to pull me up to me feet again.

"I suppose we have been at this for a while" Akasha murmured, our hands were still linked, I reluctantly released my hold on her.

"You think?, so far I have missed six feeding times, bath time, nap time, play time and if we don't move on I'll miss tucking the twins in for the night" Akasha was smiling as I ranted.

"You'll be pleased to know that we're finished for the day then" My mentor grinned. I felt like a little kid at the end of school on a Friday.

"Thank Christ for that!, I don't think my pride can take me being tossed around by such an old lady" I teased. Akasha's eyes were gradually growing lighter, returning to their original bright blue.

"You're hilarious" Akasha smirked as we both turned and started towards the mansion, side by side.

"I know" I drawled sarcastically, my biological mother laughed a little.

"Anyway you wanted to know what the two histories are..." I fell silent, like a child sat around a camp fire waiting for a ghost story "...Its a basic concept although I don't think anyone in your coven, save Chelsea, is old to use the term generally. You know humans record significant historical dates and events for younger generations to gain a better understanding of what struggles a select culture has endured. Well in our world we have a similar system, each species has a scribe to take note of any changes or occurrences, every five centuries or so they meet to discuss their recordings and then they report back to the ruler of each nation" Akasha stated.

"So its like a super natural news channel" I speculated with sardonic smile. Akasha laughed softly as we passed through the forest, the only indication that we'd even been there were the footprints and massive me-shaped snow angels back in the clearing, I snorted, snow angels turned suicide bombers, one big massive hole in the snow. I still couldn't believe how easily Akasha had just tossed me around, like she was flipping a pancake.

"I guess you could say that..." Akasha nodded "...The main reason was that if ever there was a dispute between one nation and another, one that had human witnesses. The scribes would work together to cover it all up so that the existence of our world would remain a secret. We call it the two histories because whereas ours is accurate to a fault the human's history is influenced by us in certain aspects. Its safer that way" Akasha continued.

"Makes sense..." I nodded my own unneeded agreement with the idea "...So the Scribes are still around today?" I tilted my head at her curiously.

"There aren't many left..." Akasha murmured quietly. I arched my delicate eyebrow and waited for her to go on "...You have to understand Bella, while the Scribes were the most physically weak among their own kind, their knowledge would be immense. They'd have the influence to overthrow the monarchies and dictate how we should behave. The Fae scribe, Gnaritas, was so arrogant and assured that he knew how we should live our lives, that to an extent he was dangerous. His ideas involved the destruction of dozens of other nations, the humans included, just so we could show our superiority" Akasha's hate for the man was clear in her voice, the way her words were speeding up and how tight she clenched her oval shaped jaw.

"You're using the past tense so I'm gonna assume this guy is dead" I turned my attention back to the way in front of us, there were a bunch of ice covered rocks up ahead, partly protruding from the ground.

"My father ordered me to carry out his execution in 1237BC. He was inciting riots within the two lower classes, they were destroying everything and killing everyone. I saw Gnaritas himself murder a newborn Fae because he was too little. It was chaos..." Akasha's eyes closed briefly as she mentioned the newborn Fae "...If I hadn't killed him and he'd had his way, we would be little better than the _Sicarii" _She whispered.

"I would've done the same thing, actually I wouldn't have waited for you to tell me to kill him. I learned the hard way what happens when you give a threat a second chance to re-evaluate their goals. But in my defence, I never could've predicted the outcome" I shivered.

"You're talking about when Edward kidnapped Lucas" I shot her a surprised look, she shrugged as we continued walking gracefully over the patches of ice, towards the mansion, the sky was slowly growing darker and the evening breeze was growing bitter. The dryness in my throat assured me that I would soon need to feed.

"I should've killed him the second I laid my eyes on his whiny ass again back in Forks" _Forks, _it seemed like another world now, everything that had happened there, during my mortal and immortal lives.

"You believed that your mate and her family still cared for him though, your compassion is what stopped you. I wish I could credit for that trait but I cannot" I could hear a soft note of regret in my biological mother's melodious voice.

"My compassion got my son kidnapped..." I sighed harshly, the knowledge would hang over me forever, but he was safe now, and I would do whatever it takes to keep my children and my mate safe forever more.

"No I do believe it was Laurent's self-pity and obsession with Irina combined with Edward's ridiculous fixation on you..." Akasha smirked to herself "...A fixation that turned into a fatal attraction" I grinned sadistically. I couldn't remember all the details about how I'd killed him but I could recall his screams of sheer agony.

"Wait...How do you know about Laurent and fuckward?...how do you even know their names?" I stopped mid-stride, she drew to a casual stop a couple of feet in front of me, she crossed her arms, left bare by the black tank top she was wearing, beneath her breasts.

"Like your coven-mate Alice, I have visions of the future. Except mine are set in stone. What I see _will _come to pass, there are no exceptions..." Akasha tilted her head to the side "...I saw Rosalie finding you before she was even born. I knew you were going to have Ashley and Lucas before they were conceived. I even got sneak peak at your report cards while you were still in kindergarten" Akasha emphasised her point with a knowing smirk.

"Don't give me that look...I used to find algebra hard okay?" I exclaimed incredulously.

"No you didn't you found it so easy it became boring and then when exam time rolled around you decided to do nothing..." She held up her hand when I started to protest "...And don't argue with me young lady I saw you do it" She tapped her forefinger against her high cheekbone, just beneath her right blue eye.

"What are ya gonna do send me to my room?" I drawled sarcastically.

"Of course not..." I smiled gratefully and started to walk past her, the snow crunched beneath my shoes "...I'm going to tell Victoria and she can do it" Akasha continued as she started tailing after me.

"Noooo..."

**Rosalie's POV.**

Watching over your children as they sleep is like watching an artist create masterpiece, it was often a prolonged process and sometimes there were moments you wanted to just take a break from it all, but then something would happen, a single motion, that would cast a new light on things and throw into a whole new world of thoughts and internal sensations. Titling my head to the side, I caught a set of deliberate light footsteps coming towards the nursery. I couldn't quite bring myself to look away from Ashley and Lucas though, they were sleeping in their crib a white blanket pulled up to the middle of their tiny chests, with their heads turned towards each other. The sounds of their soft breathing was like listening to a heavenly symphony. All I needed was my mate beside me and I would be complete.

"Rose?" The nursery doors opened a few inches, Chelsea was standing outside. I stood up silently, reaching down into the crib with my elegant hand, I lovingly caressed the angelic faces of my children. Ashley stirred a little before she settled down with a breezy exhale. Rearranging the blanket, I pulled it up little further on their chests. Ashley and Lucas began purring a little like two contented kittens. I grinned adoringly, before I turned and made my way over towards the door. Chelsea took a few steps back when I pulled the door open enough for me to step out into the luxuriously furbished hallway.

"Whats wrong...?" I whispered, pulling the doors closed with a soft click, it was a little too loud for my tastes but thankfully the twins just slept on inside their room "...Victoria hasn't killed Elena has she"? I arched my blonde eyebrow and smirked sarcastically. I'd made sure the older Fae was settled in her room before I'd gone into the twin's room and as far as I knew Victoria was still cooped up in her own bedroom with Esme.

"Credit her with a little self-control" Chelsea requested with a half-smile. I laughed a little. She rolled her golden brown eyes playfully but I could see a soft shadow dimming the gilded hue.

"I was..." I grinned widely "...So what was this about?" I murmured softly, there was no way to tell how good the twin's hearing was, but I was willing to stake my extensive hand-bag collection on them being able to pick up on even the tiniest noise a mile away.

"You haven't got a minute to spare have you?" The ancient Vampire asked in her noticeable Greek accent. I frowned gently, as she began fidgeting in front of me, crossing her arms under her breasts, shifting on the balls of her feet and glancing up and down the hall, as though she expected the grim reaper to come barrelling towards us.

"Ashley and Lucas are due a feed in like six and a half minutes but after that I'm all ears" My internal clock had adapted, after the twins had been born, to include all my children's necessities and what time they needed them.

"Thanks Rose I'll be out in garage" Chelsea started to walk away with a distant look in her eye. I didn't feel right just letting her walk away when she looked so miserable. Reaching out with my hand, I caught her arm. She looked up at me with a soft frown.

"Can you give me hand?...Ashley and Lucas like to keep each other in sight at all times and without Bella here to help me..." I trailed off when a doleful smile crossed Chelsea's ageless face.

"I haven't held a child since I was turned, but I think I remember how to do it" All traces of sorrow drained out of Chelsea's smile, which I was glad to see, I never could stand it when a member of my family was upset. Particularly when I was almost a hundred percent sure I knew the reason for it.

"I'm sure you're a natural..." I smiled, releasing her arm and turning to push open the twin's bedroom door mutely, I stepped inside Ashley and Lucas' room, waiting for Chelsea to move passed me before I gently shut the door behind my sister. I gestured towards the loveseat I'd previously abandoned when Chelsea had knocked on the door. My sister shuffled over to the indicated seat, slumping down with a soft sigh. She looked thoroughly exhausted which wasn't even possible for a vampire. I glided over to the crib, standing over Ashley and Lucas as still as a marble statue. As though they'd sensed my presence, in usion, the twin's, usually, neon blue eyes drifted open. As it was, my babies were looking back at me with dark purple eyes, regardless of their obvious hunger, they both managed an adorable little smile for me.

"So...you know to hold their head right?" I didn't look at Chelsea when I spoke, I couldn't pull my eyes away from my children. I sensed Chelsea stand up and move to stand, cautiously, beside me. The careful action didn't bother me as much as it would have a few days ago. My inner animal was a dangerous thing and any tiny threat to either my mate or my children could set it off.

"I remember that part quite clearly..." I could hear the fond smile in Chelsea's voice "...They're so small, I actually feel kinda tall" I snorted in amusement, Chelsea could only be considered tall to very few people, standing at a petite five foot three.

"Keep telling yourself that one sis. Okay so I'm gonna feed Lucas first so can you hold Ashley?" I murmured.

"Sure..." Chelsea took a moment before she leaned over the side of the crib, sliding one of her small hands under Ashley's blonde head and the other beneath my daughter's rump.

"She'll stop in a second" I told Chelsea when she lifted Ashley out of her shared crib, my little girl naturally started whimpering when she discovered that she was no long beside her brother. With more ease than my sister I mirrored Chelsea's careful actions and lifted my son into my arms. As I settled him against my chest, Ashley and Lucas caught sight of each other and immediately their sounds of distress turned into soft gurgles.

"See..." I smiled at Chelsea, my older sister was glancing down at Ashley with an unreadable expression. I sat gracefully down in the loveseat, it was easier to feed the twins when I was sat down rather than standing up "...So how is Maria?" I asked Chelsea, arching my eyebrow when she shot a shocked look my way.

**Irina's POV.**

"Are you going to ignore me for the rest of our lives?" I growled at my mate, Heidi glanced away from me with an indignant sniff. I rolled my golden eyes and smiled humourlessly. I could not believe this, out of me, Tanya and Kate, I was the only who had any intention whatsoever of telling my other half what the horrors my sisters and I suffered when we were human. And I'm the only one who is in the dog house. If sitting on my ass, on the floor of our bedroom leaning back against the door to the _En suite _counts as the dog house.

"Fine...I always liked listening to my own voice anyway" I joked. I heard my mate snort in disbelief, Heidi was perched on the edge of our four-poster bed with her arms crossed under her breasts. I grinned and tilted my head back against the oak door. Of course my mate knew I was lying. But what else was I supposed to do?, apologise for being molested and whored out to anyone with half a coin when I was little more than a kid?. What was I doing wrong here?.

"Man who is gonna call me out on being arrogant now?. Tanya was never any good at it and Kate...Well I just glare at her and she runs away" I sighed dramatically. Heidi turned her back to me, but not before I caught her attempt at hiding a smile.

"Does this mean I have to go back to using a vibrator?" I asked aloud. Heidi's head snapped to the side, so I could finally trail my eyes over the perfection of her beautiful face for the first time in over six hours, time I did not appreciate being robbed of, memorising her flawless features was my favourite activity. Makes me wonder what the hell I did all day before I found her or more accurately before I stumbled into a Volturi trap. I smiled lovingly, if I had known that Heidi would be waiting for me at that crappy little compound in Mexico, I would've gone looking for the crack shack. No I would've joined the Volturi a thousand years ago, that way we'd already have spent centuries together, she'd know everything about me and vice versa. And I wouldn't be wondering what the hell I'd done to upset the woman I loved.

"I'm not that cruel" Heidi drawled with a strangled smile.

"Thank Christ for that" I clasped my hands together over my unbeating heart sarcastically. Heidi nibbled on her succulent lower lip and chuckled gently.

"Nice to know sex is all you want me for" Heidi sent a husky growl my way. I could feel my eyes widen incredulously. When and where did I say or imply that?.

"Did I say that?" I frowned in confusion, Heidi tilted her head and growled at me again, well I guess that is what I get for trying to lighten the mood.

"There is a lot of things you haven't said Irina" Heidi narrowed her mesmeric golden eyes on me. I sighed and gradually began picking at a loose piece of white cotton that had worked itself free from the high fibre count carpet I'd parked my butt on.

"So you're angry at me because I was raped...well that makes perfectly good sense" My voice was laced with so much sarcasm, it would be impossible for her to miss my satire.

"I'm angry because you didn't tell me!" Heidi snapped. I growled frustratedly in the back of my throat and headbutted the door behind me, I heard the solid wood crack a little beneath the force I unwittingly used, but at least it hadn't caved in.

"I was going to" I murmured, just louder than a whisper.

"When?...next month, next year-" Heidi raved. I flinched gently, I didn't get why she was so angry but I sure as hell didn't like that I was the one causing her distress.

"When everything had settled down!...I mean in comparison to everything going on right now, what is one little detail..." I stopped toying with the carpet and stared intently back at my mate.

"Its not a little detail to me!" Heidi was suddenly crouched in front of me, my chest constricted painfully when I glimpsed the infinite darkness of her eyes.

"It was a thousand years ago" I stressed, and it didn't bother me anymore. After Sasha turned me some of the more painful memories mercifully faded into an incoherent blur. But not the worst one. I still remembered the day I came awake to find two half naked men looming over me in my small bedroom in the hovel I lived in as a human, past them, in the sparingly candlelit hall, I'd seen two other men. One was sneaking into Tanya's room and the other was disappearing into Kate's bedroom.

"That doesn't change anything Irina..." Heidi straightened and started pacing the length of our bedroom with vampire speed. I glanced over at her, tracing her graceful movements becoming more and more erratic with each passing movement. Maybe I had been deliberately avoiding telling my mate the truth, but that was only because I didn't want her looking at me like I was a victim.

"Fifteen hundred...give or take a few either way" I breathed, swallowing the lump in my throat and throttling my pride. She stopped instantly, a few feet away from me, her eyes were wild and gorgeous body was tensed almost as tight as a bowstring.

"What?" She choked out after a brief silence.

"Its how many times I was raped by the time I was turned" I shrugged dismissively. A loud hiss was all the warning I got before I found a priceless Mongolian vase, that had previously been sitting by the windowsill, being thrown across the room. I didn't bother moving from my current spot though. Heidi hadn't been aiming the vase at me, I knew that much from where the jar smashed against the wall, several feet away from my head. I squinted at the pieces of shattered marble littering the bedroom floor.

"That vase was an antique you know" Not that I cared about the annihilated eyesore. I just wanted my mate to forget about our current line of conversation. My inner vampire was adamant that we prevent Heidi from getting even more upset than she already was.

"Don't try to change the fucking subject!" Heidi hissed, raking her hands through her long, silky mane of mahogany coloured hair. I felt my stomach churn with irritation direction at myself, why had I opened my damn mouth?, Heidi was becoming more and more distraught by the second and it was my fault. Impulsively I climbed to my feet with a grace unachievable for humans.

"Hey..." I whispered softly, stalking towards her. Her head snapped up, the hurt fury reflected on her beautiful face almost broke my heart "...Come here" I didn't wait for any kind of response, I encased her slender hips in my elegant hands and pulled her against me. I sighed as she snaked her arms around my neck. Having her in my arms, our bodies pressing together perfectly, it was paradise. I drew in her unique scent as she rested her head on my shoulder.

"Don't get yourself worked up...I killed them all anyway, each and every parasite that ever hurt me or my sisters" I whispered quietly so that neither Kate or Tanya would be able to hear me. They didn't know, once Sasha had killed the bastard who sired us she had urged us to just forget the whole ordeal. And her motherly presence had certainly been like a balm to our tormented souls. But it hadn't been enough for me, each night before I went to bed I would make myself remember the sounds of their voices, panting into my ear and their repulsive scents and every night I would dream about my revenge.

"Tracking them was surprisingly easy..." I continued, drawing soothing patterns on Heidi's strong back, the warmth of her body sent tingles over me. I nuzzled the top of her head and stared straight across our room at the blank TV screen, I could see myself holding my mate in the massive flat screen.

"Their scents were so vivid that when Sasha turned me...it was like a switch had been flipped. I didn't really have control over myself, I disappeared for days and weeks at a time. Each time more and more of my 'clients' ended up in the ground..and their screams of sheer agony...I can still hear them today and they still make me smile. The only other time I've felt that euphoric was when I clapped eyes on you for the first time" Heidi lifted her head. I shook myself free of my dark memories. In those days I lived for the kill and after Sasha was taken from us, by the Volturi no less, so did Kate and Tanya.

"I hope you made them suffer for hours" Heidi growled, her own aggressive nature burned in her dark eyes. From out of nowhere lust sucker punched me in the pit of my stomach, sending my senses into overdrive. The heady scent of Heidi's own arousal made my mouth water, I felt like I'd die unless I got rid of the thin layers of clothing between us. Unintentionally my fingers tightened on her delectable hips.

"Days...Its amazing what humans can live through" I grinned sadistically. Heidi smirked, her hands were sliding down my shoulders coming to rest on my seemingly delicate collar bones.

"And I want all the gory details...Later" Heidi purred. I couldn't restrain myself anymore, I crushed our lips together as hard as I could, her resulting moan echoed in my ears. As my beloved's hands trailed lower on my chest, my past fluttered back into its steel box in the back of my mind. Where it was gonna stay until Heidi decided she wanted me to open my box of pain, I smirked against her soft lips as we kissed, she pressed back against me harder and harder until we were both panting desperately. The only thing she was going to be able to think about was how good we made each other feel, how intense our passions rose, how much we loved each other.

**Rosalie's POV.**

Drama, drama, and more drama. It comes in bucket loads around here. I sighed and shook my head tiredly, Chelsea had disappeared after our 'Maria' talk. I was pleased to note that there was a little more optimism in my sister's eyes once I'd finished talking her out of giving Maria the 'space and time she obviously needs to get over Rodrigo'. In my opinion it was the worst possible thing the ancient vampire could do. When I first met Bella, I kept my distance because I thought she'd never be interested in me and because I thought she was happy with Edward. Major miscommunication on our parts. But now, we couldn't be happier, well minus the whole Aro thing, but that would soon be dealt with. I only wished that we hadn't wasted all those years. I sighed again and glanced down at my sleeping twins, after I'd fed them, I had taken them into my, and Bella's, bedroom. I'd tried to get them interested in the toys that their numerous aunts and uncles had bought for them. Emmett was hell bent on making the matching teddy bears he'd gotten for them their favourite stuffed animal of all time. He didn't listen to me when I insisted that they were just a little too bit for the twins to become fond of, it would be like the twins liking the jolly green giant.

"...Silly uncle Emmett" I whispered quietly with a smile, the teddy bears were over in the corner of the twin's room. They were your average teddy bear, one had a blue ribbon around its neck and the other had a pink one, minus the fact that each one was about three foot tall. It was just like Emmett to do such a thing. But Ashley and Lucas just weren't interested in anything, unless it was either me or Bella talking to them. I probably imagining things or was I?. Suddenly I heard two pairs of light footsteps come barrelling towards the mansion. I instinctively knew which auditory sensation belong to my mate, Bella was lagging just behind Akasha and they were in deep conversation, something about maths?.

"I'll be back soon my little angels" I rose up out of the loveseat, lingering for a moment by the crib, casting one last careful glance over the tiny forms of my babies. Once again they had turned their heads towards each other in their sleep. Like a wraith, I silently crept out of the twin's bedroom. Pulling the door closed just as quietly. I made my way down the hall, heading towards my bedroom, the bedroom I shared with my mate was the closest to the twin's, but in a mansion this big, there was still a lot of space between them.

"You know the shower is on right?" I arched my eyebrow once I stepped into the bedroom, closed the door and turned to find Bella sprawled out on our bed with one hand covering her eyes. I could hear the shower releasing steady stream of hot water in the background behind the bathroom door.

"Mmmhm" Bella murmured as I settled my weight onto the edge of our bed, I smiled when she instantly turned on her side, the movement brought us closer together.

"Twins asleep?" Bella asked in a tired voice, she lifted her head so she could support herself on her palm. I moved without thinking, tucking a stray silky strand of her dark hair behind her delicate ear when it moved to hide her eyes from my view. The colour had darkened, becoming a bruised purple, not unlike the twin's eyes when they'd needed to feed earlier in the day, it was the first obvious sign that my mate needed to feed.

"For now" I nodded gently. And they weren't the only ones who looked like they need some rest and relaxation, if the dark circles under Bella's dark eyes were anything to judge by, I knew it was another sign of my mate's hunger, clawing away at her insides. I knew from personal experience what the signs of a hungry vampire looked like and I could only assume that it was the same for Fae. I stiffened, remembering the last time Bella had gone a while without feeding. Back in the old house at Forks. I would never forget the acid fear burning away at me for as long as I live.

"You need to feed" I spoke when I was already reaching for the hem of my blood red halter neck top, abandoning the thin material carelessly on the floor, beneath I wore a plain white strapless bra. She could've easily gotten at my neck with the top on, but during such an intimate moment I preferred having little to no clothing, even the slightest barrier felt like too much, between us. Bella's eyes were suddenly trained on my neck, my jugular vein pulsed with anticipation under the naked hunger reflected back at me in pools of darkness. With my hands I gathered my long blonde hair, which ended at the middle of my back, I pulled the fair tresses over one shoulder and tilted my head to the side. A loud growl resounded through our bedroom, a split second before I found myself, lying flat on my stomach in the middle of our bed with Bella straddling the backs of my thighs, I couldn't move even if I wanted to. The one thing I loved more than the sensation of my mate feeding from me was the animalistic side that always awoke in Bella whenever the hunger took over.

"Bella..." My hands fisted in the sheets beneath me, my eyes closed on their own when I felt my mate's taut stomach and the soft weights of her breasts press into my back. I moved my head to the right, exposing the left side of my neck, I shivered suddenly when I felt the velvet softness of Bella's full lips brush my sensitive skin, a feather light caress that sent little waves of electrical sensation over every inch of my body.

"My Rosalie" I didn't have time to dwell on the notes of possessiveness I could hear in her silky voice, the brilliant flare of pain I suddenly felt combined by the Bella's loud moan of satisfaction accompanied the sensation of her sharp teeth sinking into my neck.

"Fuck..." My groan of heated pleasure-pain echoed around the room. The feeling of Bella sucking at the small wound she'd inflicted sent shock waves over my nerves endings, my svelte hips jerked involuntarily, arousal burned in my lower stomach. Need made my clit swell against the silk of my thong, desire made my breasts feel heavy and unbelievably sensitive, lust darkened my eyes and made my breathing leave my lips in short pants.

"God yes...you taste so good baby" Bella rasped in my ear, lapping the venom seeping from the wound in my neck. The primal moans of pure satisfaction coming from her full lips sent silky heat sliding from my pussy, each lash of her moist tongue over the throbbing area of my neck had my body demanding her touch elsewhere. This was why I loved it when she fed from me, not only was it the most erotic act of my life but something only I could give my mate.

"Bite me...do it hard" I gasped suddenly, surprising myself with how husky my voice had grown. I moaned loudly when I felt Bella begin to cant her hips against my ass, the thin material of my slacks did little to buffer the building heat in body. Her hands were sliding around, between me and the bedsheets, I felt her rake her short nails over my flat stomach, sending a fleet of shivers over my over heated skin as she continued suckling on my tender neck.

"Oh God..." Abruptly, I felt her sink her teeth into my jugular with crushing force, the sudden pressure behind my clit swelled dangerously, like a balloon about to burst. From her position, straddling the backs of my thighs and rubbing her lean hips against the globes of my ass, the weight of her body on top of mine kept me immobile. I couldn't buck my hips like I needed to, I was drowning in heat, in sexual desperation. Being held still only sharpened the sensations.

"I can fucking smell how hot you are already" Bella growled, raking her teeth over the wound in my neck, ripping a harsh cry from my lips. I felt Bella's delicious weight move off of me a split second before she gripped my hips and pulled me over onto my back. Only to cover my lips with hers roughly, I parted my lips instantly, hungry to feel her tongue plunging into my mouth demandingly. I couldn't hold my groan of rapture when I felt her tongue begin to twin with mine. My lips closed on the intruder with a desperation that I knew should've horrified me. Swirling my tongue around the tip of hers, she tasted like sin itself, sweet and addictive. I felt one of her hands move to cup the heavy weight of my right breast through the flimsy material of my strapless bra, the building lust I felt for my mate lurched a step higher, I felt the smooth slide of heat begin to coat the pink lips of my pussy. I moaned around her tongue, breaking our deep kiss to to pant harshly, Bella didn't wait long before she repossessed my lips in another hard kiss that made us both moan. The hand covering my breast, suddenly moved to the front clasp of my plain bra, flicking open the tenuous material with practised ease. The cold air on my hot flesh made my nipples harden even more than they already were, sending shivers all over my body.

"Touch me..." I pleaded into her mouth, she smiled against my lips before she sucked my lower lip between hers, I heard myself mewl wantonly when I felt her bare palm cup my soft flesh without the thin barrier of my bra in place. She growled her approval, my diamond hard peak pressed into the centre of her hot hand, she kneaded my swollen mound, sending bursts of heat stabbing down towards my pussy. The ache between my legs built steadily, consuming my senses until the only thing I was aware of was the molten heat soaking my thong.

"You're so beautiful like this Rose...back arched, your hips writhing and your nipples, fuck baby the are so tempting..." I could feel my juices leaking from my pussy and coating the seam of my pants, I clamped my thighs together as hard as I could, hoping to increase the friction that my pants were already inflicting on my desperately wet pussy, Bella pinched my nipple between her thumb and forefinger, I gasped when I suddenly felt Bella tilt her head downwards, my mate's hot tongue rasped over my slender collarbone, Bella groaned softly and began lapping at my pale skin all the while she continued to work my nipple with disastrous effects, I canted her hips up, my eyes clenched shut when the seam of my pants rubbed my clit in a circular motion, but as pleasurable as that contact was I longed for it to be Bella's slender fingers.

"...Open your eyes...I want you to watch me suck your nipples" I forced myself to open my eyes as she'd told me, Bella rose up and straddled my thighs, she placed her hands on either side of my ribs. Our eyes met as she leaned down, a slow predatory smile crossed her beautiful face before she enveloped my distended nipple in the moist heat of her mouth, I cried out at the delicious sensation on Bella's mouth sucking firmly at my pink nipple while she started pulling at my other nipple, watching as it happened only heightened my pleasure. I writhed helplessly as my mate swirled her moist tongue around my nipple before gently raking her teeth over the hard nub, she repeated the motion over and over again until I felt like I'd go insane unless Bella did something to relieve the burning ache that had blossomed in my pussy.

"Bella..." I panted, she gave one last lick to my nipple before lifting her head away from my breasts, she slipped down my writhing body until she could open the top button of my black slacks.

"Lift your hips" Bella growled, pulling the zip down on my pants, I swallowed hard when I saw how dark Bella's eyes had grown with lust and the smirk on her stunning face reminded me of a large cat, confidently stalking her prey before she lunged, I arched her hips up off the bed and felt Bella dragged the offending material down my thighs, she tossed them off to the side, they landed on the floor, leaving me in just my ruined underwear. Even I caught the scent of my arousal filling our bedroom.

"Mmm...you're dripping baby..." Bella's slender fingers toyed with the waistband of my thong teasingly, my own hands were flung out to my sides gripping the cotton sheets, I nibbled my lower lip between my teeth to keep from panting desperately. She leaned back on her haunches, settling her weight on the middle of my toned thighs as she slipped her hand between my legs. The first electrical touch of her fingers against my covered clit had me arching my back as best I could with her top of me and wailing a little. Arousal flared, sizzling along my nerve endings, setting my entire body alight, it felt like someone had lit a fire in my abdomen. I was all too aware of the resulting thick juices coating my bare labia.

"God you're so fucking hot" The pressure against confined clit increased, urging something deep within me to begin coiling slowly. My long fingers tightened in the sheets as a strangled moan broke free of my lips. I loved the feeling of her fingers rubbing my swollen bundle of nerves, sending wave after wave of blunted pleasure coursing through my writhing body.

"...Grind your pussy against my hand" Bella purred, lifting her left leg and using her knee to part my legs, she straddled my right leg. I could feel heat blossoming between her legs even through the material of her jeggings. The scents of our combined lust filled my nostrils, sending excitement thrumming through my veins. The small wound in my neck was beginning to heal, the small circular mark that I had carried ever since the first time Bella had fed from me would deepen, becoming more and more prominent with each feeding.

"Take my thong off" I didn't want the thin utterly soaked materiel between us anymore. I wanted to feel her fingers sliding through my glistening folds, I needed her inside of me, the tight inner muscles of my pussy clenched hungrily at the thought, the remembered feeling of her slender fingers pumping inside of me, stretching my hot walls. I whimpered gently.

"In a rush baby?" Bella drawled, I felt her fingers shift, away from rubbing my pulsing clit to slip beneath my skimpy white thong. I cried out at the acute, piercing pleasure that assaulted me at the first touch of her fingers against my engorged clit. Over my scream I heard her heated hiss as she dragged her fingers down my narrow slit, my body's response to her touches assisted her movements so readily that when she slipped a single finger inside of me, my pussy clenched down so tightly it made her growl in satisfaction.

"More" I rocked my hips upwards, her palm brushed against the drenched silk of my thong, directly over my clit, her finger slipped further inside of me. My eyes drifted closed, the single digit parting the hungry inner muscles of my pussy felt good, but it wasn't enough. The coil in my stomach tightened torturously slow.

"Work yourself on my hand" Bella purred again when she was knuckle deep inside of me, my tight pussy clenched on my mate's finger spasmodically. She pressed the heel of her palm into my covered clit, the engorged bundle of nerves sent bolts of lightning sharp desire through my system, my hips starting rolling of their own accord, I gasped when I felt Bella's middle finger tip rub against my wet inner muscles with each twist of my slender hips. A small wet squelch sounded when she thrust her finger back inside of me, forging through my tight pussy.

"Thats it baby...just like that" Bella moaned, slowly thrusting her finger inside of me, setting up a steady rhythm that had me moaning and fisting my hands in the sheets tighter, my eyes drifted closed, the scent of our combined arousal filled the air, my gasps of pleasure joined with Bella's harsh breathing, just when I could feel my pussy begin to ripple warningly around Bella's finger. She stopped and pulled her hand out of my ruined thong, when she placed her hand on my thigh I could feel my hot juices clinging to her fingers, I clamped my lower lip between my teeth to keep from screaming in sexual frustration.

"Get on your knees" Bella suddenly growled huskily, my body had turned into an uncoordinated mass of boneless limbs, I could still feel thousands of erotic bolts of arousal sizzling along my tight channel. I was so close to cumming. All I needed was the deep driving thrusts of my mate's fingers inside of me. I suddenly felt Bella's hands encasing my hips, the world rolled and I was on my knees in front of her. She pressed her hand down on the nape of my neck, I felt like I was drunk on desire as I shifted onto all fours, giving her a perfect view of my drenched thong that did its best to hide my soaked pussy and the one entrance she'd never really breached. My clit pulsed at the thought of Bella fucking my ass.

"Oh I'm not gonna fuck your ass today baby...but I am going to bury my mouth in tight pussy...fuck you with my tongue until you go insane with pleasure" I pressed my ass against her crotch, the rough material of her jeggings was especially harsh against my sensitive skin, I lowered my head as my juices began to seep through my thong, coating my inner thighs, the ache building behind my clit increased violently. I needed her hands on me.

"Now...Bella please now" I felt the mattress dip a little, she stroked the backs of my thighs gently, I arched my back drawing attention to my backside. She hooked her fingers in the waistband of my underwear.

"I really hope you don't like this thong" She teasingly nipped the sensitive skin of my lower back with her teeth, bringing a sigh to my red lips. Suddenly I felt Bella rip my thong clean off my body. The sudden rush of cold air caressing my wet pussy emphasised how hot my mound was. My clit throbbed furiously, begging for attention.

"Spread your legs Rose...Lemme get a look at your wet pussy baby" The first touch of Bella's tongue was like a bolt of liquid fire searing through me. I gasped at the sensation, my body tightened, I felt like I was drowning in the pleasure that washed over me, I bucked backwards against Bella's mouth, feeling her tongue circle the entrance to my hungry pussy, she dipped her tongue inside of me, I couldn't halt the harsh cry that erupted from my lips. Bella's hands gripped my hips with bruising force as she continued lapping the thick juices leaking from my cunt. Moaning at each taste, the vibrations against my most intimate flesh made me shudder, before she caressed a path from my pulsing pussy up to the tight puckered hole of my ass. I jerked making Bella groan into my flesh, sending quivers of ecstasy echoing over my body, I bucked back into her mouth, arching helplessly as Bella's tongue plunged back into my tight pussy.

"You taste like honey...so fucking sweet" Bella moaned lapping the swollen entrance to my clenching cunt, I whimpered with a fresh wave of desire, torturous need clawed at my insides, making me feel as though I had been set on fire as Bella fucked her tongue hard and fast inside my gripping channel, her hands sensually stroked my bucking hips. Each stroke and caress from my mate's skilled tongue was sending me closer and closer to the edge. I cried out repeatedly, my climax was just out of reach, but every thrust of Bella's tongue drove me higher and higher. Suddenly she stopped, a raw scream of desperation ripped itself free from me as my orgasm slipped mockingly out of grasp, again.

"I wanna look into your eyes when you cum" Bella rasped, her voice was thick with lust. I found myself being turned back over, with my legs splayed wide, her jaw clenched as she moved between my thighs, bracing her weight on one hand beside my ribs on the bed.

"God I can't stand it" I cried out, she chose that moment to sink two of her fingers into my slick pussy, a strangled scream broke free of my throat at the swift penetration, Bella worked her fingers inside me quickly easing them past my convulsing tissue, pleasure raged wildly inside of me, I could feel myself teetering towards the edge once more. She hissed low in her throat as she started pumping her fingers inside of me, setting a rhythm that soon grew fast and hard. Just how I needed it.

"Yes thats it Rosalie, cum for me sweetness, right now" Bella growled, before she rubbed my tight bundle of nerves with her thumb and curled her fingers inside of my pussy, hitting _that _spot. White lights exploded before my eyes as my orgasm hit me so hard that it felt as though I was being torn out of my own body, it was so intense. I could distantly hear myself screaming Bella's name so loudly there wasn't a chance that I hadn't been heard by everyone else in the mansion. My body was arching as tautly as a bow string as my mate continued pumping her fingers inside of my gently, my pussy continued to ripple around her slender digits as I shuddered uncontrollably. My head was lolling from side to side slowly, my eyes drifted open when I felt her brush her soft lips against mine in a loving kiss.

**Alexia's POV.**

"Lexi..." I glanced up when I heard Peyral call my name. My brother was standing in the doorway to my temporary room in the Volturi compound. In my lap was an eight inch blade made out of Peyral ore, funnily enough. I had to admit, my brother was a genius when it came to science. The luminous purple substance that carried my brother's name could cut through anything, including Fae, even when I let the edges grow dull. I smirked as I slipped my beloved weapon back into its black leather holster, standing up I tightly secured the straps of the holster around my lightly muscled thigh. Of course I didn't actually require the millennia old weapon to do my killing, but it came in handy when I decided to have a little fun with my prey.

"They're here" It wasn't a question, I'd sensed Jax and Lyssandra the moment they'd stepped foot out of the elevator and into the compound. The only reason I asked Peyral was because he looked a little nervous now that his 'beloved' was here. I looked over at Peyral as I reached for my leather jacket. My little brother was all but jumping on the spot, he was so tense and apprehensive.

"Yeah ah...they said that they brought what you wanted them to" Peyral frowned at me as he relaid the message from my closest allies. They weren't friends. They followed my lead simply because I was the best at what I did and they respected that fact. The followed my orders down to the letter because they knew that if they fucked up on _my _hunt I wouldn't hesitate to kill them. They watched my back because of who my father was and because they knew that one day it would be me who took on the title of _Et magis est obediendum in omnibus quae colebant, _which quite literally meant, 'she who is to be obeyed and revered in all things'. I snorted sarcastically as I shrugged into my black jacket, what a mouthful, the first order of business on my mind when dear old dad decided that it was time to finally keel over and die was to change my title. I personally favoured head bitch or sadistic hardass.

"Good...You got Lyss a ring yet?" I sidled over to the full length mirror, to check my appearance. I looked like a Goth, tight leather pants, combat boots, black tank top which was like a second skin and black leather jacket. I smirked, black was just one those colours, it looked good on just about anyone and in my case, I wore it because it hid all the evidence of my hunts. Each set of my leathers, while I had to admit were the only designer clothes I owned, weren't just a fashion statement. The one hundred percent authentic leather was pretty resilient when it came to tearing which meant that even if my prey decided to try and fight back and if by some miracle they managed to get their hands on me, my clothes were very unlikely to rip, and afterwards I would still be able to move among the human population as stealthy as a six foot leather clad woman could.

"No I didn't know whether or not I should...I mean I know some of the older _Sicarii _make their mates wear mating collars but I didn't think she'd..." I tuned out Peyral's anxious ramblings, as I ensured that every strand of my silky platinum blonde hair was secured in my signature French plait, so long as my brother was focused on ranting he wouldn't be centred on the queasy feeling bubbling away in his stomach. Hence my meaningless questions.

"You try to make her wear a mating collar and she _will_ punch in the face, possibly a little lower...know what I mean?" I turned on my heel and arched my delicate blonde eyebrow at him. His eyes widened with recognition.

"Okay...so about a ring..." If he was human, Peyral would've made himself sick by now. He was bag of nerves, another thing that _Sicarii _didn't feel. And another thing I had to worry about others seeing.

"Leave it to me..." I walked past him, out my room and down the hall, no one was in plain sight but I could sense four Volturi guards attempting to hide themselves in the shadowy halls, idiots, I could sense every foreign presence in a hundred mile radius if I put my mind to it. As my 'gracious' host, Aro had 'kindly' provided me and my 'friends' with a conference room so that we might 'discuss our business arrangements without any interruptions'. I scowled inwardly, the walls were probably paper thin, the arrogant fuck really thought I didn't know that he was trying to figure out my plans.

"Jax and Lyss are just down the hall" Peyral murmured as he ran to catch up with me. I ignored him as I continued walking, a familiar scent caught my attention just outside the conference room.

"Hi Corin" I murmured, concealed, unsuccessfully, in a particularly shady part of the hall was one of my vampire 'playthings'. I heard her defeated sigh as I pushed open the door. I smirked over my shoulder at her, another vampire wouldn't be able to see her, a Fae would've seen her silhouette, a human wouldn't have a hope in hell. But me, I might as well be wearing night vision goggles. I caught her swallow hard as our eyes met

"Do me a favour?, tell Aro that I think he should invest in this amazing thing call electricity instead of this shitty candle light will you..." Peyral moved past me into the conference room "...Thanks _babe_" I sneered before I shut the door behind me. Jax and Lyssandra were sat at the long rectangular table that dominated the amply furnished room. Peyral stood hesitantly took a seat opposite them, I could tell that my brother wanted to say something to his betrothed but he seemed to get a little tongue tied when Jax and Lyssandra stood up on my approach. Jax was a six foot eight hulk of a man, he looked like he ate nails for breakfast with his bulging muscles, strong rugged features and close buzz cut, to a human I guess he would resemble a heavily muscled marine at first glance. Minus his leather of course. To Jax's right, stood Lyssandra, her posture was a little more relaxed. I trailed my cold black eyes over her form. At five foot eight she was considered petite among other _Sicarii, _her curvy hips, long legs and more than just generous breasts bespoke what kind of sinful delights the woman was capable of. It didn't help that she was absolutely gorgeous with an unruly mane of red hair and classically beautiful face that didn't require make up. My brother was a lucky boy.

"...How is the home front?" I asked, pulling a hard backed chair out from the table and sitting down next to my brother. The other two_ Sicarii _were quick to follow.

"Its gonna take major bucks to repair the damage those ill trained little shits have done" Jax rumbled, his deep voice was the kind that gave little kids nightmares. I nodded slowly, I'd expected as much. The younger _Sicarii, _were becoming more and more uncontrollable, costing us more and more each day in damages and whats worse, they weren't old enough to participate in hunts, they'd just fuck everything up and the only way we made money was by selling our services to the social elite of all species, with the exception of humans.

"Still say we should lock 'em all in a cage" Lyssandra drawled, looking at me with a gleam of intent shinning in her dark eyes. I smirked at her.

"Don't tempt me" I purred, leaning back in my chair. It would certainly save us a lot of money.

"But its what I do" Lyssandra pouted with false playfulness. Her sultry tone made me stifle a shiver, had she been anyone but my brother's future mate, I would've pounced on her right then and there. Fuck modesty, there was no such thing back home and I'd been raised without it.

"Don't we all know it" Jax smirked, a cruel twist of his thin lips. As suggestive as his half smile was, I knew for a fact that Jax's taste leaned towards his own gender, much to the distress of all the heterosexual female _Sicarii, _fortunately there weren't many, most of us took pleasure where we could find it.

"Moving on..." The change in my voice, adopting a more commanding tone, caught their attention. The other two fell silent across the table "...The Fae in Alaska know of our existence" I relaid my findings from Corin's loose lips. The petite vampire had been all too quick to spill her knowledge of 'current events' one I got between her thighs. However I had taken to shadowing Caius and Marcus to gather every ounce of information I could. Poor Aro was going to be overwrought with hurt when he discovered his brothers' betrayal. It wasn't my problem though, my hunt only consisted of killing the vampires, capturing the Fae and returning them to Aro, it didn't involve any type of protection detail, except watching over Peyral.

"How?" My brother murmured quietly, he was turned towards me, so that he didn't have to look at Jax and Lyssandra. Not for the first time I found myself comparing him to that of a human child hiding behind it's mother's skirt. I took a deep calming breath to stop myself from becoming irritated.

"Akasha..." All my life I'd always listened to my instincts and they were telling me that my former friend had some part to play in my upcoming hunt. I could feel my eyes begin to shin an unholy red, anger clouded my senses, my hand closed around the hilt of the blade strapped to my thigh. I'd finally be able to put an end to our age long struggle.

"That bitch should've stayed away" Lyssandra hissed. Jax cracked his knuckles and smirked with an aggressive light glowing in his dark eyes.

"She has a right to be angry, we did take her older daughter away from her..." I snarled violently, interrupting my brother mid-sentence. For a brief second Peyral looked scared, I couldn't blame him, even I had to admit that my naturally explosive temper got that little more sensitive where Akasha was concerned.

"Her daughter made her decision, we only did as we were ordered" I stated sternly, leaving no room for argument, Peyral dropped his blonde head in defeat, but I could see that he still felt uneasy about that fateful day so many years ago. I didn't have a problem with him feeling guilty, even though _Sicarii _weren't supposed to feel anything, I didn't have a problem with him being emotional, period, what I didn't like was him making a show of it in front of my hunters.

"Besides no one forced Dana to do anything she hadn't already planned" Had we been alone I would've placed a gentle hand on Peyral's slumped shoulder. My words were enough though, he looked up at me with confused eyes.

"How do you know what Dana was planning?" Peyral asked. I glanced over at Lyssandra and Jax, they looked just as unwilling to tell my brother the truth as I was.

"You'll find out someday kid" But not until all this shit with the Fae and the vampires was over and done with. Then me and my kind could focus on rebuilding our once great nation.

**AN: So I bet you thought this story was all out of twists, ;D well you were wrong, there is going to be a major turnabout where Bella's older sister is concerned, can you guess what though?. Unfortunately, Chapter thirty six isn't going to be up for a while, I've got a lot of work on with school as usual. But keep your eyes peeled, cuz when school ends in three weeks I will finally be able to get these updates out as fast as I used to. **


	36. Chapter 36

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything associated with the books or the films.

**Chapter Thirty Six, Bella's POV.**

"This is doing nothing for my self-respect" I muttered under my breath. Akasha shushed me without opening her neon blue eyes. I sighed raggedly and leaned back against the ice covered boulder behind me while my biological mother continued with her 'meditation'. I rolled my eyes in irritation. I couldn't believe I was stuck out here in the white blanketed forest surrounded by the pine scents connected with to every piece of woodland, sitting on my ass in the damn snow while Akasha just kept humming to herself. The other Fae was perched on the wide, semi flat surface of the rock I was leaning against with her long legs crossed and her elegant hands on top of her thighs.

"Can we go now?" I grumbled. It had been a week since my training with Akasha had began, I was starting to pick up new techniques in hand-to-hand combat thanks to the many, many times I've had my ass handed to me. It was a good thing I couldn't bruise or else I would be permanent shade of purple.

"Not until you've tried to find an inner calm" Akasha's light accent fluttered down to me, I growled in frustration, I would've left my mentor to her 'inner calm' session. But I knew Rosalie would be disappointed in me. My mate was just as eager for me to learn how to control my abilities as I used to be. I wouldn't have agreed to this boring torture if I knew it would mean being away from golden haired Goddess and our angelic twins. I would stay put for the agreed hour, but if Akasha started reciting ancient Latin poetry again, I was not going to be able to control myself. It was like listening to a recording, on loop, containing nothing but incoherent gibberish. Frustrating and pretty damn useless.

"You mean the kind of calm I feel when I'm with Rosalie?" I murmured. Hoping my biological mother would take the hint and call it a day on our 'training'.

"Exactly" Akasha answered, all too soon she was humming to herself again. I rolled my eyes in frustration as I leaned my head back against the frozen boulder and drew my knees up to my chest, I wrapped my arms around my strong limbs and mentally prepared myself for another half hour of listening to my mentor's constant humming. It was like having a fly buzzing around my head.

"I don't hear you concentrating" Akasha scolded like a fricking school teacher.

"How do you hear someone concentrating!" I exclaimed, growling so loudly that several birds in the vicinity took to the gun-barrel grey sky, their shocked cries echoed around the forest.

"Lets say its the opposite type of ambience I'm getting from you" Akasha growled back at me. I felt her shift on top of the boulder behind me, I registered the smooth slide of her clothes over her pale skin as she moved.

"This is pointless" I snarled in annoyance. I didn't have time to sit on the forest floor, with snow seeping in through my tight jeans and leaving a damn wet patch in its wake, listening to my biological mother humming like a madwoman while Aro was no doubt planning his next attack on me and my family. I needed to learn how to control my power so I could eliminate the deluded son of a bitch.

"No it isn't..." Akasha sighed with her own aggravation "...We have to find your trigger before we can move onto your elemental training, which requires some fucking concentration on your part!" Akasha snarled violently, any vampire or other supernatural being would've instinctively recognised the tone and drifted into silence. But not me. The dangerous notes in her voice didn't dissuade me from releasing a consistent growl of my own. In the back of my mind I knew I was only this irritable and grouchy because I was away from my mate and our children, but fuck if I could control myself. Every muscle in my body was tensed and coiled, ready to take my frustration out on the nearest target.

"I'll concentrate when you give me something that actually needs my attention!" I snapped back. We both fell silent, tiny growls of discontent echoing around us like a sinister symphony, we both longed to be near our respective mates. The distance between myself and Rosalie was killing me, I physically couldn't stand the distance, it almost hurt. Animals, big and small, were swift to flee the area in sheer terror.

"This isn't working" Akasha finally grumbled in a calmer tone, clearly she had stronger self control than I did.

"Really?" I drawled sarcastically, clenching my hands into fists, if I didn't get back to Rosalie soon I was either going to implode with longing or I was going to end up picking a fight with Akasha.

"This is an exercise you _have_ to complete before we can move on Bella" I dragged myself up off the ground, the material of my jeans was sticking to the backs of my long legs and my firm backside. I stretched lazily, more out of a human habit than a real need to work out any kinks in my body. I turned around to face my mentor, Akasha was dressed similarly to me in respects to colour, wearing dark colours just seemed to make sense while training even though we could obviously be seen against the snow. But that was where the similarities ended. Akasha was dressed in a black silk pant suit and black open toed heels, she looked so out of place against the snowy landscape around us but its not like we need to be careful around such an isolated part of the forest, no human would think twice about coming this far North.

"Fine. But my mood isn't going to get any better the longer I'm away from Rose..." I stated as Akasha hopped off the boulder, landing in the seven inch thick blanket of snow, the slow scowl that crossed her ageless face was the only sign that she'd just stepped into the freezing substance around us.

"We continue this later. And you are going to have to _concentrate" _Her emphasis on each syllable of the word had me smirking a little as we started back towards the mansion at a slow walk.

"Its a deal" I agreed a little sullenly. I might be heading back towards the light of my life but I'd still have to be separated from Rosalie for another hour later on. I was on the losing end of this deal, I realised as I subconsciously picked up my pace. The thought of returning to my mate lifted the frustrated weight in my chest.

**Aro's POV.**

"I've sent you to her bed every day for the past two weeks and you know absolutely nothing of her plans!..." I bellowed, panting a little as rage built within my stomach.

"...Why do I even keep you around Corin?" I snapped at the tiny vampire as I began to pace the length of the dais, my throne, and my brother's, were supported on.

"Because she is invaluable Aro" Caius snapped behind me, both he and Marcus were reclining in their thrones as though I didn't have a useless servant standing before me, stating that while she had done her best to satisfy our 'guest' she was unable to complete the task I fucking gave her. By rights I should already have two adult Fae and their young at my command and a firm alliance with the _Sicarii. _But no. I was forced to wait because of the idiots around me. And I couldn't possibly do their tasks myself. It was commoner's work, and I would would soon reign supreme over the supernatural and human worlds.

"As are all of our guards" Marcus added in his maddeningly impassive tone. I turned to face Corin, it was true I suppose, her ability to make those around her feel addictive contentment was most invaluable when I introduced a new member into my coven.

"That does not excuse your failure" I hissed at her angrily. Corin head lowered in response, the grey robe she was wearing hid most of her body from plain view and belied its curves.

"I apologise master" Corin murmured quietly.

"Get out my sight Corin, I have no time for fools and failures..." I growled as I threw myself onto my throne "...Send in Demetri and return to Alexia, if you fail me again I will have Caius execute you in a most painful manner" I couldn't taint myself by personally dealing with such matters. That is the only reason I keep Caius around despite his inferiorities.

"Yes master" Corin scampered away from the dais, she glided down the hall and pulled the doors at the end of the throne room open easily even though each of the double doors weight at least half a ton. Within moments it was Demetri kneeling before the dais with his head lowered respectfully. At least he knows who his better is.

"Ah Demetri I have a task for you" I drawled.

"Where shall I be going master?" Demetri's deep voice ricocheted off the marble walls and echoed around the chamber. He may be an accomplished tracker but his intelligence or lack thereof left much to be desired.

"Alaska of course" I sneered. Why was I the most intelligent vampire in the world?, it made communing with underlings so much more difficult because they couldn't form an appropriate response. If Demetri's inane question was any example, they couldn't even utilise rational thought.

"And what will I be doing?" Demetri murmured.

"You're not the smartest of my guards are you Demetri?..." I barked a laugh "...My tools in Alaska need to be monitored until they are ready to serve me" I sighed, soon I would be the proud owner of not one but four Fae. The things I would accomplish once they were within my grasp.

"I'll leave at once master" Demetri stated.

"There is little point in this, the Fae will sense his presence if he comes within a twenty five mile radius of her mansion" Caius interrupted just as Demetri rose to his feet.

"Nonsense brother..." I spat "...I believe I gave you an order" Demetri looked between myself and Caius, indecision glimmered in his ruby coloured eyes.

"Don't look at him, I'm your master, you do as I command. Now GO!" I shrieked. How dare Caius interfere in my plans. My brothers may have thrones but that meant nothing, I was the elder, it was their duty to assist me in my endeavours not challenge me in front of my footstools.

"When shall I return with my report?" Demetri suddenly asked. Insolent bastard kept his eyes on Caius as he spoke, had I not been a gracious master I would have killed him then and there.

"When I tell you too" I growled. The younger vampire's eyes flickered back to me.

"Master" Why did I get the feeling Demetri was speaking to Caius and not me?. No, he knew I was vastly superior to my brothers in very aspect, the only being who had come close to matching me had been my dear friend Carlisle. Demetri wouldn't dare disrespect me.

"If he catches the Fae's attention you can bid goodbye to our greatest tracker, she won't be very welcoming to Volturi in her territory now that her young have been born" Caius droned on.

"Then I will find another tracker..." I growled, admiring the high pitch of the sound before continuing "...Every guard in this coven is expendable, including y-" I was interrupted by Caius's violent snarl, I rolled my eyes slowly, did he honestly think he stood a chance against Marcus and I?.

"Without them, without us, there wouldn't be a coven. I suggest you remember that before you do or say something further that I will make you regret" Caius was suddenly whispering into my ear, I hadn't even been aware of him crossing the small distance between our thrones. It meant nothing though, he was still my inferior.

"Don't speak to your elder like that Caius" I turned my head to face him, the ageless contours of his face reflected barely restrained rage. I sneered slowly, if he lay one hand on me I would let Marcus deal with him.

"Come with me brother, I would like to speak with Sulpicia" Marcus was suddenly gripping Caius by his upper arm and pulling my blonde brother away from my throne. I smirked at Caius, it was very clear that Marcus favoured me in this regard. At least one of my siblings knew his place.

"Of course" Caius bit out, straightening the light grey jacket of his three piece with his pale hands. I didn't know when or why my brother had began wearing suits instead of the robe I had clearly sated was the compulsory uniform of all my servants.

"Tell my wife I will be visiting her bed tonight. You can go now." I turned away from my slightly taller brothers. Caius snarled, his fists clenching at his sides before he stalked down the hall towards the entrance.

"Keep an eye on him won't you Marcus?" I murmured to my remaining servant.

"He _is _my brother" Marcus murmured cryptically as he followed after Caius. I sneered at his retreating back, whatever his words meant it was of no interest to me. I would have no use for my 'brothers' once I had the Fae at my disposal.

**Caius's POV.**

"You should have let me kill him Marcus" I snarled as I stalked through the halls, in front of my brother, heading towards the tower where Sulpicia resided. Alone. Now that her sisters, mine and Marcus' mates, were deceased. The pain that slammed into my chest at the thought of my beloved Athenodora brought me to a stop in the middle of the marble hall. I groaned gently and almost sank to my knees. It felt as though I'd just been impaled on a blunted spear. Shafts of pure agony had me quivering as my hand reached out blindly for something to keep me upright. My hand found my brother.

"Breath Caius" Marcus' voice was strained, thoughts of Didyme were no doubt swimming through his mind as he gripped my elbow.

"I miss her" My voice was hoarse, my ruby red eyes burned with tears that were incapable of falling. Centuries since my mate, my other half had been taken from me and still it hurt like it had happened just yesterday.

"I know" Marcus' long fingers tightened on my arm. I took several deep breaths, the tightness of my chest made the act far more difficult than it should've been.

"At least we will avenge Didyme...soon" I rubbed my chest, over my unbeating heart. As much as I longed to be united with my mate, I couldn't leave my brother until I knew the bastard responsible for his mate's death, the woman I had viewed as my sister, had been killed. Aro's crimes against Marcus were unforgivable.

"How is Bella's training coming along?" Marcus murmured, quietly to avoid anyone overhearing us, once we had resumed our walk, side by side, we made our way over to the staircase on the far side of the compound. I wasn't actually surprised to find Corin lingering at the bottom. The younger vampire was the only one in the coven, with the exception of myself and Marcus, Sulpicia would tolerate inside of her chamber. My mate's sister both resented and embraced her solitude.

"I haven't checked in with her in awhile. I didn't think she'd appreciate the interruption..." I spoke honestly and just as hushed as my brother.

"...Corin" I nodded at the young vampire.

"I was just..." Corin stuttered nervously. The Volturi guard still knew me to be a sadistic bastard and that was fine with me.

"We understand Corin, but you should find Alexia" Marcus spoke for both of us.

"Of course masters" Corin hurried off down the hall towards the guest rooms where the small band of _Sicarri _were staying. They hadn't even ventured out in to the main compound once in the past two weeks, while I found that suspicious, I was grateful that I wasn't faced with the assassins _I _had commissioned to hunt down every last Fae. Guilt still ate at me, knowing I was responsible for the decimation of an entire nation. It didn't matter that a Fae had stolen the only woman I'd ever loved from me, Akasha had personally dealt with the bastard responsible. Athenodora would've been very disappointed with my actions, she had never condoned any type of violence.

"Shall we?" Marcus murmured as he began climbing the spiral staircase ahead of me. I jerked myself away from my regrets, it wouldn't do to linger on them, I was doing my best to put them right now. Just as Athenodora would want me to. I ascended the stone stairs behind my brother, the abnormal steepness of the stairway didn't affect me at all. I reached the top just as Sulpicia opened the door for Marcus and I.

"Morning brothers" Sulpicia was only just older than I was, Aro had turned her a year before he turned his attentions on her sisters. Only then did he turn myself and Marcus, Athenodora never told me what Aro had the three sisters do in that year alone with him, she only assured me in her melodious voice that it wasn't anything degrading. I couldn't bring myself to think about it, even now.

"Sister" Marcus and I drawled in usion. She smiled slightly, she was dressed in a flowing white gown that showed off her voluptuous form and complimented her flowing blonde hair, the silky locks framed her face and the ends touched the an inch below her slender waist. We came from an ear when woman were expected to keep extremely long hair as a sign of high status. Sulpicia's human father and mother had sported royal blood and it showed in her aristocratic features.

"Your visit is unexpected" She murmured as she retreated back in her large chamber, once it had housed Athenodora and Didyme, now it was scarcely furnished with only the basics of furniture. A large wardrobe in one corner, a dresser beside it, the right side of the chamber possessed a set of double doors that opened onto a balcony that offered a striking yet mundane view of the Volturi forest, the back wall was dominated by framed oil paintings produced by my sister. The largest was an unframed painting of all three of sisters, running from the ceiling twenty feet above my head to the floor. I smiled tenderly, all of Sulpicia's art was centred on the beautiful faces of her sisters. I found myself standing before painting of Athenodora, I had my own portraits of my beloved mate in my room, but they lacked the detail that Sulpicia had captured.

"We have most urgent business to discuss with you Sister" Marcus said in his impassive tone as he moved to stand beside me, his eyes latched onto Didyme's likeness like a starving flower searching desperately for the sun in a dark cave. In that regard we were exactly the same, both longing for something we would never have again.

"Concerning my husband, no doubt" Sulpicia muttered bitterly, unlike myself and Marcus, Aro hadn't found his mate in Sulpicia. He wanted her because she hated him and because of her undeniable beauty, of course she couldn't say 'no' to him. He was her maker, she would never be able to physically over power him. I hated the life my mate's sister was forced to lead.

"He intends to visit you tonight" I hissed, angry on Sulpicia's behalf. She never reacted when she was given the news, but then, she hardly reacted to anything anymore.

"Don't worry yourself Caius, his visits only last about ten seconds..." Sulpicia laughed to herself as she moved to stand between Marcus and I. Snorting to myself, I heard a similar response from Marcus as the three of us stared at the faces of our lost loved ones.

"But you aren't here just to give me some bad news, are you?" She tilted her head up to look at me, she was tall, about 5ft 10" but I was still taller at 6ft 4".

"Do you recall the mage oracle that Aro met just over a century ago" Marcus murmured.

"He had Jane rip her into tiny pieces and sent them to the high mage after she foretold of his demise at the hands of a royal Fae if I remember correctly" Sulpicia recounted perfectly.

"Precisely" I nodded with a gleeful smirk.

"You mean to tell me that you've found one of the Regius line" My sister pinned with a look of skepticism. I grinned at her despite the look of disbelief she was aiming at me.

"Actually we found Akasha Regius, the former ambassador of the Fae nation and heiress to the throne, her mate Elena, their daughter Bella, her own mate and their two children" Marcus stated calmly.

"You boys have been busy" Sulpicia purred with a wide smile. Her eyes were glowing brightly as she began to pace, I could feel the waves of relief, elation and eagerness falling off my sister. I shared a smile with Marcus, this was the most animated she'd been since the death of her sisters. Sulpicia slowly began chuckling as she drew to a stop, I knew what she felt like. The prospect of having freedom for the first time in two thousand years was surreal, like a distant memory, but it was something the three of us had longed for since the day of our turning.

"I don't think our next question is needed brother" I looked at Marcus to find him grinning, a feat most thought him unable to accomplish.

"If your next question was going to be; Do I want to help you?. Then you already have your answer. What do you need me to do?" Sulpicia was grinning brightly.

"You have a strong connection with Corin..." I inquired slowly.

"We are friends, yes" The way she said that made me think there was more to it than mere friendship, but for now, I didn't have time to explore my muse.

"Then talk to her, I know most of the guards dislike Aro, we need to know which ones will remain faithful and which ones are looking for an escape route" I carried on with the plan we'd devised with Bella at our last meeting.

"Does your Fae know that you intend to spare their lives?" Sulpicia murmured, her experienced with Fae had lead her to believe that the Fae were uncontrollable beings with a lust for destruction. That view had been accurate six thousand years ago, but no longer.

"It was Bella's idea, she doesn't want to partake in mindless killing. In fact I'm convinced that if we could sway the loyalty of all the guards then the only one she would kill when she arrives, would be Aro" Marcus spoke with an air of fondness.

"How noble an act...and very contradictory of those belonging to Fae long dead..." Sulpicia mused, resting her elegant hands on her lean hips "...But how long do we have?, when is this Bella planning to arrive in Volterra?" She asked.

"I'll call Tanya later on today. But we should assume that we need to move with all haste" I suggested. Marcus nodded his agreement.

**Victoria's POV.**

"Huh, why is it when Carmen and my sexy little Esme were in charge, this project was estimated to take about...what was it again?...three months or so?" I purred to a grinning Alive, the pixie was to hyped up about her finished task that she was practically bouncing in Leah's arms. The female shifter was embracing her mate, as best she could, from behind. The three of us were standing in the, now complete and fully furnished family room.

"Because they argued more than they worked?" Leah offered, dropping her head a little to nuzzle the top of the Pixie's head lovingly. I smirked slowly, having known Leah for over a century, I think I'm qualified to think she was relieved about the finished living room, being as Alice had been working through the night for the past seven days. Poor shifter hadn't gotten any in the last week. Unlike me.

"That...and they could never match my ingenuity in the field of design" Alice grinned.

"No comment..." I said, glancing around the room again with my hands on my hips. The white tank top and low riding jeans I was wearing showed off a thin strip of my pale, flat abdomen. The pixie had done a really good job, and she hadn't changed her original idea which is more than I can say for Carmen and my mate. The old carpet had been replaced with oak hardwood flooring, the furniture, with the exception of the four, leather, three-seater couches, was made out of cherry-wood and the walls were painted a deep maroon colour. Overall it was stylish yet homey.

"...You know we are never going to fit everyone in here even with twelve seats" I spoke with a tiny wince, it wasn't like I wanted to insult the décor, because it really was quite striking in a way only Alice could manage, but my logical side was still curious about what the pixie had in mind about seating arrangements.

"Actually there is more than enough room, after all everyone sits in their significant other's lap." Alice shrugged, leaning back against Leah's chest.

"Very true" I nodded gently.

"So what is my overall score?" I arched a perfectly shaped eyebrow at my daughter, smirking helplessly. So true to form for my daughter.

"Out of..." I trailed off, catching Leah's darks eyes, the shifter grinned contentedly as she happily nuzzled her much shorter mate.

"Hey guys!, bye guys!" The front door slammed open and Bella's voice echoed down the hall and into the living room as she ran up the stairs.

"Hey!...You could've at least checked out the living room!" Alice grumbled. I could hear Bella's footsteps halt in the middle of the carpeted stairs, I nearly jumped out my skin when a split second before she was suddenly standing next to me. Her vastly superior speed still caught me off guard.

"Very nice. Love it. I give you a twelve out of ten. See you later." Bella fired off in rapid succession after a swift glance around the newly furnished living room. Alice didn't even have a chance to respond before Bella was flashing out of the living room, down the hall and back up the stairs. I smiled slowly at the indignant look on the pixie's face, she really took her art a little too seriously, then again maybe I just wasn't as into fashion as the rest of my family, having lived barefoot for the first...six hundred years of my immortal life. At least I sported several pairs of shoes nowadays.

"Was she being sarcastic just then?" Alice suddenly blurted out. She looked like Bella had just called her metaphorical 'baby', an ugly little turd.

"Couldn't say" Laughing a little at my own thoughts.

"Morning..." My good mood evaporated quicker than Bella could run when Akasha appeared in the doorway. I crossed my arms beneath my breasts and grumbled an incoherent greeting.

"...Nice décor, have you thought about displaying some of Van Gogh's work, the bright colours might complement the dark reds better than the works you got now" Akasha commented after a brief silence, I scowled to myself, what a fucking suck up!. Alice looked like a human that just found a briefcase filled the brim with thousand dollar bills. I rolled my eyes in response as I kept my back to Akasha.

"Finally someone that speaks my language..." Alice drawled with a smile. Leah was suddenly glaring darkly at the blonde Fae, I masterfully hid my smirk. I knew there was a reason why I love that shifter like a daughter.

"...Its damn near impossible to find any original works this days though" Alice sighed with a soft pout. I didn't like to see any of my child disappointed, even if I didn't quite understand the pixie's passion about art.

"I know every major art dealer in the U.S and most of Europe if you want their numbers" I finally perked up. I grunted when Alice tore herself out of Leah's arms and barrelled into me with the force of a freight train.

"Bloody hell!..." I groaned, feeling my daughter's arms tighten around my lean waist like a boa constrictor "...My spinal cord!" I croaked even as I returned the embrace gingerly.

"Love you Mom" Alice squealed happily.

"And I hate you, you bloody, clingy, little...Pixie-pest..." I drawled sarcastically "...You can get off of me now" I grumbled. Secretly happy that my daughter was happy.

"SOS Leah" I looked over the top of Alice's head towards Leah. The shifter grinned brightly as she moved towards me and my new, unwanted, accessory.

"Come on baby, you know public shows of affection with anyone except Esme make V blush" Leah was quick to pull her mate back into her arms. I rested the palms on my hands on the small of my back and made a massive show of working the cramps out of my muscles. Leah grinned fondly and Alice giggled.

"Its very unbecoming on a lady of my age" I teased. Suddenly very aware of Akasha standing in the doorway with her head cocked to the side curiously. Did I really want her seeing the softer side of me?. Ever since she moved in, I've going out of my way to avoid her and when we were stuck in a room together, I normally channel my inner bitch with unsurprising ease and that would generally get my message across. I still didn't trust her and I certainly didn't like her, I know I still haven't given her a chance to prove herself to be a good influence in Bella's life, and maybe I was being a little bit interfering, but whatever, I've been the only mother Bella has know for the past century, I am more than entitled to be protective. Right?.

"Now then if you are done with me and my opinions I will be getting back to my mate" Esme was in the kitchen preparing the shifters lunch, I didn't known what they were having but I knew they were going to be having a lot of it.

"Akasha..." I muttered as I made to sidled past her, without a growl. That was major progress on my part, Bella would be pleased.

"Can we talk?" Akasha was suddenly blocking my path. My first instinct was to physically move her, my muscles tightened considerable, subconsciously I balled my hands into fists. I sighed raggedly, even if I wanted to, she was stronger and I'm not an idiot. Guess this really was going to be a confrontation of words.

"Its not me you need to be talking to..." I took a step forward, she didn't even budge an inch. Damn this bitch is tall. I had to crane my head back to look up at her as I moved into her personal space. I felt Alice and Leah tense behind me. I glanced over my shoulder at them, I could see in their eyes that they wanted me to hear the Fae out. I returned my attention to Akasha after giving my children a small inclination of my head. For Bella's sake, I would hear her out. I made no promises beyond that.

"...But seeing as I wouldn't have my daughter without you, I guess I can be civil for few minutes" Akasha's neon blue eyes flashed black, the only sign that I was getting to her. I smirked daringly, she didn't seem to react as she backed up out of my face and walked done the hall towards the foyer and the front doors. The confident sway of her hips made me want to slap her. I growled deep in my throat as I tensed to follow her. The scent of vanilla preceded the presence of my mate. My aggression leaked out of me the second my golden eyes landed on Esme. She was dressed in a pair of slight grey slacks with a black silk blouse tucked into her pants, the three top buttons were undone, giving me a stunning glimpse of my favourite view. I smiled languidly and instinctively pulled the younger vampire's petite body up against mine. I pressed my forehead against hers as I drew her luscious fragrance deep into my lungs, savouring the warmth of her stunning body pressing into mine. A perfect fit, like two puzzle pieces coming together in natural harmony.

"Play nicely..." The sound of my mate's sweet, melodious voice was like invisible hands stroking my skin. Suddenly I didn't want a confrontation with Akasha, I just wanted to curl up in a ball with Esme held safely in my arms.

"...And is the living room really that nice?" I chuckled at the expression she gave me.

"Alice is good, but she has nothing on you..." I promised, dipping my head slightly to brush my lips across hers. I pouted when I felt her pushing gently against my shoulders, lifting my head I raised an eyebrow quizzically.

"...Besides I have plenty of estates around the world just waiting for you to renovate them, I gotta warn you though, they are more than a little run down" I continued when I saw her honey brown eyes flicker towards the open front door.

"Don't stall, just go see what she wants and then come help me dice some vegetables" I grinned lovingly down at my mate.

"Thats when you cut them into massive chunks right?" I laughed loudly when she suddenly slapped my toned thigh playfully, it sounded so much worse than it felt.

"Just go see what Akasha wants, will you?" Esme grinned widely.

"You're the boss" I grumbled dispassionately.

"Just remember that before you say something that will get you in trouble" Esme teased, leaning up to nip my lower lip playfully, the small sting had me growling huskily low in my throat.

"Trouble?. Me?. Surely not." I muttered sardonically as she pulled back with a smirk, I reluctantly let her slip free of my arms. The sooner I 'listened' her Fae-ness the sooner I could be back with my mate. Dicing vegetables or not. I didn't care what she had me doing just so long as I was with her. I ignored the impulse to jerk my mate back into my arms as she walked back into the kitchen, swaying her hips like she knew my golden coloured eyes were firmly trained on her delectable backside. Oh yeah I needed to get this conversation out the way most most fucking ricky-tick. I bolted down the hall and almost fell out the door in my haste.

"Make this quick will you?" I snapped without actually meaning to. I despised being separated from Esme longer than a few minutes at a time, it didn't help that I was with my least favourite person in the house if not the world. I couldn't be mad at Elena, I didn't know why, maybe it was because she was so much more...more...mousy, than Akasha.

"Of course" Akasha spat with rising venom colouring her tone. I crossed my arms beneath my breasts as I sauntered towards the handrail framing the stairs leading up to the door on either side. Leaning my hip against the metal bannister, I sighed, waiting for the inevitable.

"I think you need to act a little more civil" Akasha blurted out.

"I need to be more civil, I'm not the one who abandoned a kid just to pop up over a century later, I don't think you get an opinion in this" I snarled, I could almost feel my eyes turning black,. Seriously she had the nerve to talk to _me _about being 'civil'!. She should've stayed away, Rosalie and I would've gotten Bella through her transformation just fine.

"I left Bella because she would've lived in constant danger with Elena and I" Akasha snapped, a low growl echoed around us, I stifled a shiver of instinctive fear. Fuck being scared, is she wanted to tangle, I was all for it, granted it would be like a cocker spaniel trying to take on a Doberman, but fuck it, if I got my ass handed to me, so be it, but I _would _get my own punches in first.

"I get that, I really do. But turning up now?, she has learned to live without you." I stressed.

"And I can see that you and Esme are the one she looks to as parental figures. But she needs me and Elena too." Akasha stated.

"I'm not disputing that, she has to learn how to use her power before we go to Volterra. But I am _not _okay with the prospect of you or your mate hurting Bella. I will see you in pieces before I let that happen" I growled.

"You do realise that you stand no chance in a fight against me" Akasha pointed out, tight-lipped.

"Woman you could be a God and I still wouldn't relent until I had made you suffer. No one hurts my family..." My eyes narrowed.

"I respect that, how can I not?. That brings me back to my original point. You obviously hate me and I cann't say I'm too crazy about you."

"Damn straight" I eagerly nodded my agreement.

"...But we have one thing in common..." Akasha continued with a smirk.

"What is that?, a desire to find out what colour your venom is?" I smiled with false innocence. She laughed in response.

"...We both want what is best for Bella, we both want to protect her" Akasha pressed on.

"That we do..." I sighed. And I had already promised Bella I would make an effort with her biological parents.

"So a truce?" Akasha was suddenly standing right in front of me, so close I could feel her body heat, when she had been stand five feet away from me a mere second ago. Her hand was extended out to me.

"For now" I nodded, gripping her hand with my own, I found myself squeezing with undue force, a satisfied smirk crossed her ageless face, abruptly it felt like my hand was trapped in a vice. I didn't hiss despite the dull pain. My stubbornness wouldn't allow it, I increased the pressure I was inflicting on Akasha's left hand. I knew she was putting next to nothing into her bone crushing grip, my hand throbbed in agony.

"Cease-fire" I groaned after while, she released my hand instantly, I lifted my palm up to eye level. Fully expecting to find a misshapen claw in the place of my right hand.

"I'm glad you were the one to raise Bella" Akasha announced with a fond smile. I didn't bother correcting her, I may have turned Bella and been there for her since that moment but there were still eighteen years that I couldn't take credit for. All I could think about right now was what Esme was going to say when she found I couldn't dice her vegetables.

"Can I ask you a question?" I murmured, attempting to wiggle some sensation back into my fingers with little success.

"Yes" Akasha tilted her head curiously, her long mane of white, far paler than platinum, blonde hair fell over one shoulder.

"Are you right hand dominant?" I asked after a moment.

"Yes" Akasha answered bluntly.

"Dammit" I growled.

**Bella's POV.**

"I don't know if I should be relieved that they're fighting to protect you or if I should feel jealous" Rosalie purred into my ear as Akasha and Victoria came back into the mansion, Victoria heading into the kitchen with Esme and Akasha up stairs to her bedroom where Elena was waiting.

"Great now I've got three women fighting over me" I drawled sardonically. Secretly liking the thought of my blonde Goddess getting a little possessive, even if it was unneeded.

"Except this woman would kick their sorry butts if push comes to shove" Rosalie grinned. I smirked and leaned back into my mate's warm, welcoming embrace. In front of us, in the nursery, sleeping soundly in their shared crib was our twins.

"I wouldn't underestimate Akasha if I were you. I swear I don't think my ego can take much more of beating" I sighed raggedly. Rosalie's arms tightened around my waist, shivers crept down my spine when she began nuzzling my neck. As I predicted early in the morning, the moment I'd stepped into my mate's strong arms, every trace of irrational annoyance and light aggression had just seeped out of my muscles.

"Mmm I wonder if she could take the two of us" Rosalie purred in her silky smooth voice. I wanted to curl into a ball with my mate and remain immobile for at least a week, only listening out for the twins. Training with Akasha was so frustrating, I couldn't beat her in hand to hand and I still hadn't found the trigger to my elemental power. If I couldn't beat another Fae, how in the hell was I supposed to fight the bane of my kind's existence?.

"You're thinking too hard, the key to controlling an instinctive action is to clear your mind of everything" Rosalie murmured quietly, our routine was to watch over the twins for a little while until we were sure that they wouldn't wake up before returning to our own room.

"You sound like Akasha" I muttered lifting the lead weights of my hands to begin drawing slow circles on Rosalie's perfect, pale forearms, the feather light touch made her shiver a little against my back.

"Then why didn't you listen to her?" Rosalie's melodious voice was amused.

"Because I wanted to be here" I murmured.

"We're not going anywhere Bella" Rosalie nibbled on the sensitive area behind my ear, I shuddered against her, becoming very aware of her ample breasts pressing into my back. This was another part of our routine, once I got back from training, we would hold each other for hours, neither of us liked the time we spent apart, even if it was only for an hour. It felt painfully longer. And I would have to leave her _again_ to listen to Akasha meditating _again. _Maybe I should've stuck it out for the full hour.

"I know, but listening to Akasha humming to herself for half an hour was torture and I was already pining for you three anyway" I felt her smile against my neck.

"You mean like meditation?" Rosalie murmured.

"Exactly like meditation..." I nodded slightly "...Apparently I need to find an 'inner calm', what the hell does that even mean?" I muttered.

"Close your eyes for a second..." I found myself obeying even without asking what my mate was up to.

"...Lean into me..." I didn't need any more encouragement, the sensation of Rosalie's gorgeously lithe body pressing into me from behind felt so damn good.

"...Now just let your senses take over your logic" I exhaled slowly. The sounds of Rosalie's steady breathing in my ear accompanied the shallower utterly synchronised exhales of our children blocked out every other sound around me, the animals out in the forest and the movements of my family in the mansion. The warmth of Rosalie's body merging with mine was so soothing, so perfect, that everything else, my budding relationship with my biological parents, the waiting threat of the _Sicarii, _all of it just drifted away. Leaving me with the three people that I loved most in the world. The scent of freesia and jasmine was subtle in the nursery. With each even breath I pulled more of my mate's semi unique fragrance into my lungs, the twin's held the same aroma that we did, but it was lighter. I'd never felt more at peace, here with the keepers of my heart. Abruptly a low thrumming sensation built up in the pit of my stomach, it felt strange and yet I wanted to find out what it was. Letting my senses run free, the odd pulsing feeling grew stronger until it was like adrenaline pouring through my veins, energising my muscles to intensely my skin began to tingle all over. I involuntarily bolted up right suddenly with a gasp.

"What the hell was that?" Rosalie's silky voice in my ear was soothing despite the confusion I could hear in her tone. I felt her arms tighten around my lean waist as I breathed heavily.

"You felt that?" I had to clear my throat before asking, either it was me or someone had messed with the room temperature, it was way to hot in the nursery.

"It felt like you were burning up" I found myself being spun around to face my beautiful, worried mate. Her arms remained wrapped around my waist tightly.

"I don't know what it was, and I'm not sure I liked it either" I felt sick to my stomach, which considering I was immortal and I didn't need to feed, was pretty fucking unusual.

"Come on, you don't look so good" The concern I read on my mate's stunningly beautiful face and the worry I could hear in her voice was like a hard punch to the gut.

"Woman are you trying to imply I don't look totally hot right now?" I managed to muster a little sarcasm to gain a tiny smile from my mate, my effort to soothe her nerves was really quite pathetic but I couldn't stand knowing that she was distressed.

"You always look beautiful, but..." I leaned forward and caught her apprehensive words with my lips. We both sighed gently at the soft connection.

"But nothing...I am fine. I do need a quick shower though" I purred with a suggestive smile, the light bout of whatever I'd been feeling was already dissipating.

"Make it a very long bubble bath, I'm not in the mood for a 'quick shower'" Rosalie murmured with a stunning smile of her own, it didn't quite reach her striking neon blue eyes though, taking hold of my hand in hers and urging me to follow on her heels. I cast a look over my shoulder at Ashley and Lucas, the twins had moved closer together in their sleep, both of them laying on their sides with their tiny hands touching. I smiled lovingly, for a moment I was almost reluctant to leave them, I loved watching them while they sleep.

"They will be fine for an hour, as you typically say to me" I chuckled lightly as Rosalie opened the doors quietly with her free hand and pulled me out into the hall with her.

**Alexia's POV.**

"You never said anything about having a fuck toy Alexia" Lyssandra drawled huskily from the doorway. I smirked at her before I drew the silk sheets up over Corin's body, the tiny vampire was sleeping soundly after a very 'physically demanding exercise'. I my smirk grew slightly.

"Now why would I do that Lyss?" I purred, grabbing a black, silk robe and shrugging into the light material. Not failing to catch Lyssandra staring hungrily at my naked body before I covered up.

"This is the kind of information in-laws should share, don't you think?" Lyssandra smirked, moving across the room to sit rather gracefully on the edge of my bed.

"Particularly when said information is actually quite attractive" Lyssandra's laugh was full of seductive suggestion. I rolled my cold black eyes as I stalked towards the dresser, picking up a comb I slowly began dragging it through my waist length platinum blonde hair, all the while Lyssandra gently pulled the duvet down Corin's naked body.

"Such a shame you don't share" Lyssandra returned the sheets up to Corin's slender shoulder and turned to face me with a pout.

"Isn't it just?..." I drawled sarcastically. Many a time my coven mates had kicked up a storm about my possessive habits, I didn't share my women very often, I didn't generally include others in my hunts and I didn't take kindly when my fellow hunters attempted to insert themselves into my business.

"...So what do you want Lyss?" I asked when I finished running the comb through my long thick hair. I replaced the comb on the top of the dresser and turned around to face my future sister in law.

"What?, I can't simply want to bask in your titillating presence?" Lyssandra arched her delicate auburn coloured eyebrow.

"No you can't" I crossed my arms beneath my full breasts, watching as her dark eyes latched onto my chest, unabashed in her ogling.

"Pity, we could've had fun..." Lyssandra stood up gracefully, I narrowed my eyes suspiciously as she sauntered towards me with her hips swaying temptingly. I growled huskily, despite the fact she was promised to my brother I couldn't help but picture her curvy frame, naked and beneath me, her hot little moans in my ear while my hands traced the perfect contours of her body.

"Probably" I drawled, licking my sculpted lower lip slowly. Her responding smile was full with seductive intent. I clenched my jaw tightly when she stopped just in front of me, so close I could feel the warmth of her supple curves, the musky scent of her arousal was thick in the air. I was easily a head taller than she was, forcing her to look up at me.

"...They want to talk to you" Lyssandra breathed gently.

"I'm sure they do" I whispered, she was shifting closer to me, we were almost touching.

"Why did you make us bring them here Lex?" Lyssandra murmured. She really was very beautiful, I mused to myself as I leaned down to her. Wondering what her lips would feel like beneath mine.

"Because they are going to keep Akasha distracted while I kidnap her youngest daughter, right out from under her" I growled warningly when I felt the softness of her ample breast pressing into the top of my taut stomach, right beneath my own, sometimes being 6ft tall truly was quite annoying but it was a testament to my pure breeding.

"You going for the hat trick baby?" Lyssandra smirked. I almost lost my train of thought when I felt her press her curvy hips into my flat abdomen.

"You might say that. I took her eldest, now I'm going to rip her youngest away from her before she even has a chance to know her, and then, I'm going to move on to her mate" I couldn't wait to get my hands on Akasha herself though, destroying everything she loves before hand was just for my own amusement.

"All on your lonesome?" Lyssandra purred, the sensation of her hands suddenly resting on my hips had heat pooling into my stomach. Really what would be the harm in a quick tangle?, it wasn't like Peyral was married to the little tease yet.

"Why, do you know someone who can keep up with me?" I drawled. Her succulent lips were so close, I could almost taste their sweetness. I dipped my head closer to her, inhaling the growing scent of her excitement.

"On a hunt...or in the bedroom?" Lyssandra retorted, trailing her hands up my taut stomach.

"What if I were to say both?" I traded. Suddenly I caught the sound of approaching footsteps, far too light to belong to Jax, no vampire with the exception of Corin ventured into this part of the Volturi compound. _Peyral._

"Then I would say, look no further" Lyssandra drawled, I mentally growled in frustration as I forced myself to lift my head, her soft lips connected with my jugular. The sharp scrape of her teeth over my pale skin accompanied the sound of my brother's elegant fist knocking on my door. It was like someone had lit a candle in my lust hazed mind. I gripped Lyssandra's smaller hands in my own, with little effort I pulled her hands away from my body.

"You belong to my brother, don't forget that Lyss" I snapped, tightening my fingers around her wrists. She winced at my painful hold.

"Didn't see you complaining a second ago" Lyssandra growled as she tried to jerk her hands out of my steely hold. I let her thrash helplessly against me for a moment, silently reminding her who the stronger hunter was. She didn't stand a chance, like an an ancient oak trying to stand against a hurricane, one way or another it was going to be destroyed.

"There is a big difference between being tempted and actually giving in..." I snarled, fear was clear in her expression. I released her hands, instantly she moved away from me, rubbing her sore wrists.

"Don't ever try that again..." I warned in a deadly calm voice. I stalked across the room towards the door, Lyssandra didn't nod her understanding, but she didn't have to. She knew I only gave a warning the once, the time after that, I carried out my promises.

"Peyral..." I jerked the door open to find my brother standing nervously out in the hall, he was dressed in his usual designer slacks and a silk shirt "...What is it?"

"I was wondering what was taking you so long" My brother's dark brown eyes slid past me and latched onto his betrothed. Lyssandra's eyes weren't on him though, I could feel her staring at my back.

"I'll be there when I'm good and ready, now return to them and wait for me" I snapped, more irritated at Lyssandra's brazenness after my warning than I was with my younger brother.

"O-of course Lexi" Peyral inclined his head timidly and hurried back down the hall, like a mouse being pursued by a cat. I growled at myself for my my lack of control, it wasn't his fault, but then why did he have to be so damned sensitive all the time. It wasn't proper _Sicarii_behaviour and I shouldn't have to condone it.

"Was that really necessary?..." Lyssandra murmured, I looked over my shoulder at her, she was leaning back on the four poster bed, her head was resting on the subtle curve of Corin's hip, using the vampire as a pillow. They did make good furniture.

"...I think you scared him" She was regaining her bravado, but at least she didn't make another suggestive comment.

"Then why don't you hurry after him, he is your soon-to-be-husband" I muttered.

"If that is what you wish _Prima..." _Lyssandra purred my abbreviated title. I narrowed my eyes on her as she sauntered towards me "...If I weren't going to marry your brother-" She stopped in the doorway and glanced at me with something akin to longing in her dark eyes.

"Then I would already be fucking you" I interrupted swiftly.

"See you later _Prima" _Lyssandra smiled as she stalked down the hall.

**Bella's POV.**

"You never said anything about having to go back out again" Rosalie pouted furiously. I grinned as I pulled a thin, sleeveless black turtle-neck over my head. I felt invigorated after a very long bath with my mate.

"It could be worse" I sat down on the edge of our bed, Rosalie was sprawled out on her back, nothing but a cream coloured towel hiding her gorgeous body from me. I nibbled my lower lip, reminding myself that I had to get this training session with Akasha out of the way, then I could spend time keeping the twins entertained until it was time for them to have a bath, then there would be more playing, followed by feeding time. When Ashley and Lucas were asleep however, I shook my head a little, it wouldn't do to get distracted.

"How is that exactly?" Rosalie muttered, lifting herself up onto her elbows. I tried unsuccessfully to prevent my eyes from trailing down the ample curves of her breasts. Her pale skin was still damp from our bath, the amber bathing oils we used clung to her, that faint aroma complemented our natural scent perfectly.

"At least I know what to do this time right?" I cleared my throat a little, a single droplet of water was wending its way, teasingly, down the graceful column of her neck, down her chest. I could almost feel my pupils dilate as I followed its painfully slow progress.

"Then why do you have to go, do tell" Rosalie grumbled. I sighed, I didn't see the point myself, not when the centre of my universe was sprawled out on our bed wearing only a _towel. _

"Don't ask me questions I don't know the answer to" I pleaded, clenching my thighs together as I watched the bead of water continue on its path, trailing downwards, to the my mate's mouth watering cleavage. Rosalie's seductive laugh forced me to raise my hungry eyes.

"Okay fine, but do you have to spend the _entire _hour away from me" Rosalie grumbled in annoyance. I crawled across the mattress towards her, thankfully I hadn't put on my boots yet. I slumped forward, resting my head on the softness of her flat stomach and flattening my body against the bed.

"It fucking sucks" I muttered reluctantly, I shivered when I felt her elegant hand tangle in the loose strands of my hair, I nuzzled my face against her abdomen. This was my favourite place in the world. With my mate, knowing our children were only one room away, safely tucked in for their evening nap.

"Got that right" Rosalie murmured quietly, the sensation of her hand massaging my scalp was making me shudder at the sensual contact. I could hear myself beginning to purr contentedly, why in God's name did Akasha want another training session, _why?. _It wasn't fair, I just wanted to stay with Rosalie, stay just like this, with my mate's warm body next to me, her scent surrounding me, listening to the sounds of her slow, even breathing and her touch relaxing my muscles.

"What was I supposed to be doing again?" I mumbled into her stomach. Already I could feel my will power fleeing in the face of my mate's gentle, soothing touches.

"Absolutely nothing. You and I are just going to stay here until Ashley and Lucas wake up" Rosalie said firmly, her melodious voice had me closing my eyes, satisfaction thrummed through my veins as she continued stroking my mahogany coloured hair..

"Perfect..." I smiled languidly. Just as there was a light rapping on the door.

"...This isn't happening" I muttered. I already knew who is was on the other side of the door, subconsciously I had registered the approaching footsteps of my biological mother, I just didn't want to move.

"Ignore her" Rosalie purred.

"You're the boss, love" I agreed easily. I would give Rosalie whatever she wanted. If she wanted the moon, it was hers. She wanted me to achieve world peace, I was going to do it. Another knock on the door caught my attention. I lifted my head with a low growl of frustration.

"I will be half an hour at most, no longer" Fighting the inevitable was useless and Akasha wasn't going away. I crawled up the sinfully delightful shape of my mate's body. Our eyes locked as I dipped my head, savouring the instant moan she gifted me with as our lips brushed together in a long kiss. I lived for the velvet softness of her lips, I could spend hours just kissing her.

"Any longer and I will come looking for you" Rosalie warned with a loving smile as we drew apart. I grinned wickedly.

"Love you" The truth of my statement was overwhelming, it made my head swim with blissful contentedness.

"Love you too..." She leaned up and nipped at my lower lip with her perfect white teeth, my eyes fluttered closed briefly "...Now go before I tie you to the bed"

"Mmm now I'm going to be picturing that all night" I drawled as I climbed off our bed reluctantly, I grabbed my knee high, dark brown leather boots. I pulled them up over my tight, dark jeggings.

"You better hurry up with the session so you can get your tight little butt home then" Rosalie purred with a smile.

"Like I said, you're the boss..." I winked when there was another knock on the door, far more intrusive than the previous ones.

"...Alright!..." I snapped loudly "...Jesus Christ" I growled, slumping over to the door.

"Last chance to change your mind" Rosalie sang after me.

"Temptress" I teased, gripping the solid gold door handle in my right hand.

"Only for you" Rosalie retorted. I smiled tenderly as I pulled the door open with a downhearted sigh. Akasha was waiting for me on the other side, still dressed in her silk pant suit, black open toed heels on her feet and her white blonde hair pinned back from her ageless face.

"You're a pain in my ass" I snapped irritably as I slipped out my bedroom, I heard the melodious laugh of my mate as I pulled the door closed behind me.

"You have to learn" Akasha stated calmly.

"Whatever, thats what my math teacher said and I knew more than him" I grumbled as I stalked down the hall.

"You are learning quickly, soon we will be ready to leave for Volterra" Akasha declared as she caught up with me easily due to her long legs.

"'We'?" I tilted my head to look at her as we descended the mosaic stairs together.

"Yes 'we', you do not think I'm going to let you face Alexia alone, do you?..." Akasha asked as though it were a rhetorical question just as our feet touched the floor at the same time.

"...Besides, have you forgotten it was the _Sicarii _who killed your sister, I _have_ to get revenge for that" Akasha muttered as she moved towards the front floor ahead of me. I halted suddenly, something was wrong, I could sense it. I turned on my heel and looked up the stairs as my biological mother pulled the door open.

"Bella?..." Akasha's lightly accented voice sounded like it was drifting towards me from over a wide rift. I instinctively climbed back up the first step again, listening intently, for what?, I wasn't sure. But something was not letting me leave the mansion.

"...What is wrong?"

"BELLA!" Rosalie's loud voice carried a note of utter terror, I bolted up the stairs so fast I wouldn't even be visible to the human eye. I didn't stop until I was in the twin's room, where I could sense my mate's presence.

"Rosalie" I locked my arms protectively around my mate's slender waist as my eyes instantly sought out our sleeping children. They weren't there. Panic seized my chest. I couldn't actually be seeing this. This was a hallucination. My twins weren't gone. They couldn't be. They couldn't even support their own heads. Unless someone had them. No. My family members wouldn't dare take the twins without asking first. And no one could've sneaked into the house without me knowing. I knew every unique scent in the area, the swiftness of which I responded to it, depended on how familiar I was with it. So I _knew _no one had sneaked into the house, a foreign scent would've instantly registered with me.

"Where are they, oh God where are they Bella?" Rosalie's breathing was erratic, I lowered my head to her shoulder, gently nuzzling the small circular mark that lingered at the crook of her slender neck. She calmed only slightly, but it was enough for my inner Fae to focus on inhaling the scents in the nursery. All I could detect was the subtle freesia and jasmine belonging to the twins, it was still very vivid and stronger near the crib. They were still here?.

"Reach into the crib for me Rose..." I breathed into her ear, I couldn't believe what my senses were telling me, but I had always trusted them completely.

"...Go on" I encouraged. The moment Rosalie's shaking hands gripped the side of the crib, the twins were suddenly visible, as though they'd been hiding under an invisible blanket. The hand grotesquely twisting my heart released me instantly. I sighed in relief. Letting go of Rosalie's waist while she lifted Lucas into her arms, I caught her jet black eyes while I reached into the crib for Ashley, my little girl was reaching her arms up for me.

"What the hell did they do, Bella?" Rosalie asked me as I cradled Ashley against my chest, the twins were gurgling to us, like they were trying to explain what had happened. I tightened my arms around Ashley's soft weight. Rosalie was nuzzling the top of Lucas' blonde head.

"I really wish I knew"

**TBC. . .**


	37. Chapter 37

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything associated with the films or books, the only thing I do take credit for are any Ocs and mistakes ;p

**Chapter Thirty Seven, Bella's POV.**

"How about Fae peek-a-boo?, oh wait I gotta a better one, semi cute yet kinda disconcerting baby thing"

"That is the best you got?" I arched my dark eyebrow at Leah as my sister tried to create a name for the twin's new power.

"I like to see you come up with something better" Leah retorted with a smirk.

"Lucas and Ashley's power?" I traded. We were both stood in the laundry room. I was bundling the twin's dirty clothes into the washing machine while Leah lounged around in the doorway.

"That _is _creative" Leah drawled sarcastically.

"How do you go from the moodiest person on the planet to sarcastic in a century?" I muttered when I finally finished shoving the baby clothes into the wash.

"The same way you went from clumsy to graceful" Leah responded.

"You've been letting Alice bite you?" I smirked at the tall shifter over my shoulder.

"That is about the only thing she won't do" Leah pouted.

"TMI Lee" I made a face as I added the sweet scented detergent to the wash load, it was a random guess as to how much of the cleansing agent I would need, but here is hoping I didn't use too much or too less. It had literally been years since I did any kind of household chore, I know I practically did everything for Charlie when I was human, hell I could've done all of it wearing blindfold and one hand tied behind my back, it would've been dangerous given my awkward balance, but I could've done it. Now whenever I even thought about helping out, Esme was suddenly standing in front of me with that motherly smile and a 'Don't even think about messing with my cleaning routine' look on her face.

"What are talking about 'TMI'?, we live in a house where everyone can hear just about everything. Miss I haven't even done my mate up the-"

"LEAH!.." I snapped loudly.

"Hello?" The female shifter suddenly looked a little nervous. I grumbled beneath my breath as I turned the washer on, the sounds of rushing water echoed around the wide laundry room, it was easily about as big as my old bedroom back at the mansion in Forks, the rich fragrance of the detergent mixing with the water followed me as I walked towards my tall sister.

"Leah, sex isn't everything, besides we have the twins to watch over, even more so now that they turn invisible, not to mention I gotta focus on learning control so I can finally eliminate the last threat to our family. But this is more about your sex life isn't it?" I guessed.

"What do you think would happen if, in the heat of the moment..."

"Hey I don't wanna hear about you, Alice and heat..." I whined covering my ears with my hands dramatically.

"...This is a serious conversation isn't it?" I smirked a little, leaning my shoulder against the door frame. The warmth falling off Leah's lithe body in waves was little uncomfortable, like standing next to an open furnace but I stayed put.

"What do you think would happen if she bit me?. Because I can see that she wants to but she just won't..." Leah's voice dropped to a whisper. Clearly she didn't want Alice overhearing us, the pixie was in the newly furnished living room with my Rosalie and our twins.

"Well I don't know if I'm the right person to ask Lee, I mean we are the same age and I know about as much of our world as you do. Why not just ask Victoria?" I suggested with a partial shrug.

"Because I am not too certain if her pissing match with Akasha is over yet" Leah grumbled with a fond smile. I grinned gently, there was nothing more scary or endearing than a maternal Victoria.

"You did hear them yesterday right?" I tilted my head with a half smile, the loose strands of my long dark hair fell over one shoulder.

"Yeah but this is Victoria. C'mon Bells you've seen her at poker, she plays the losing game just to steal your villa in Greece the next round."

"You still hurting over that loss huh?" I teased.

"I liked that Villa, it was right next to my own private beach. I had acres of open space to let my wolf roam around without having to worry about humans spotting me. Even here in Alaska I have to throw cautious looks over my shoulder during a run" Leah sighed.

"Y'know she would give it back to you if you asked her"

"I will beat her one day" Leah promised.

"Fat chance..." I coughed, shooting my sister a sardonic smirk.

"Whatever. So you think its safe to ask V?" Leah murmured.

"If you really want my opinion. Your skin is just as impenetrable as a vampires even more so given you are the bane of their very existence so...I don't really see there being an issue. But like I said I am not exactly an authority on supernatural biology" I crossed my arms beneath my ample breasts, the soft white material of my grecian style top strained across my chest.

"And V is?" Leah arched her raven dark eyebrow quizzically.

"She knows more than we do" I pointed out.

"Yeah..." Leah agreed "...So say everything is fine. How do convince Ali of that because she is acting like something bad might happen."

"Like what?" I asked a little loudly.

"Exactly my point" Leah murmured.

"I'd say get her angry then push for make up sex but if you're anything like me, I can't do anything to upset my mate. So I guess you just have to talk to her" I shrugged again.

"So have you seen Jake and little miss Jane as of late?" Leah purred.

"No. Why?." I asked as she started smirking to herself.

"I haven't sensed so much happiness over our link since he was madly in love with you" I cringed slightly at the memory, that was one aspect of the past I did _not _need reminding of. Not one little bit.

"Its good to hear, I haven't really had a chance to talk to him since he got back, but I'm glad Jane is finally..."

"-Normal" Leah supplied.

"...Opening up" I corrected firmly.

"Yes. She is now 'normal'" Leah insisted with a wide grin.

"Sometimes Leah..." I grumbled with a mocking yet scolding look. I pushed past my sister and started for the living room, my pace gradually increasing as the little sounds of my mate and children grew louder, like the crescendo of a song designed to appeal only to me.

**Demetri's POV.**

I rubbed the back of my neck nervously as I slowly crept away from the Denali mansion, darting my eyes around the snowy landscape with each step I took. Instinct was a pretty powerful thing, and mine were yelling at me to back the hell away from the large house. I'd arrived in Alaska just over an hour ago thanks to the Volturi private jet, and I'd been camped out on the very tips of the mansion's outer parameter, just over a mile away from the actual building. My position was close enough to the house that I could just about catch a scent of the mansion's inhabitants but due to the wind direction they wouldn't easily catch mine. At least my years of experience as a tracker told me that. I had no idea if a Fae would be able to sense me. A slow shiver had the sensitive hairs on the back of my neck rise. I glanced around again. The dim light being cast from the hidden sun, being concealed by the stormy grey sky probably would've impaired a humans vision. As winter drew near, the days in Alaska grew shorter and the nights got increasingly longer.

I lifted my head a little, drawing in the surrounding scents. Rotten bark, small and large animals, clean white snow, even the light scent of a near by lake. Shaking my head to dispel my feeling of uneasiness I took off at a light run, I was staying in a crappy motel near the local town. Aro didn't like it when we wasted 'his' funds on luxuries for ourselves even when we were carrying out a task for him. As a vampire it wasn't like I needed much in the ways of 'indulgences' but even a vampire could enjoy a hot shower. The motel's cheap installations reminded me of my ex-husband. One minute it runs deliciously hot the next it runs ice cold.

My long legs ate up the distance between myself and the town, maybe it wasn't the brightest move to stay so close to the mansion but it boasted enough distance between my location and the mansion that I could claim to be pursuing other business the area if one of the Denali coven ever happened on me. I doubt it though. Every vampire in the coven, along with the three shifters, had stayed close to the house since I'd arrived and they never went anywhere alone, particularly while hunting. If I couldn't get one of them alone it made my side objective of restoring my former coven-mate's loyalties to their proper places more or less impossible. Now I wasn't an idiot, I'm sure that they know of my presence in the area, it just begged the question of why hadn't they confronted me. And where did Bella and that older Fae go that I couldn't pick up their scent, it was like they moved too fast for their scents to even consider lingering on the air for me to trace. I had far more questions than answers, which was sure to 'please' Aro when I called in with my hourly report. This was a pointless mission, more than pointless, it bordered on suicidal. If Bella or Rosalie thought I was endangering their children, I could kiss my ass goodbye, and why. So Aro could feel important while throwing out orders?.

I shook my head as I drew to a stop around the back of the motel, as to avoid human attention, it was a secluded area, a couple of metres away from the forest and the only main road leading through town. Reaching into the inside pocket of my bulky jacket I pulled out a plain black case holding a pair of tinted, wire rimmed, glasses. Slipping them into place, they more or hid my ruby red eyes from view and they drew less attention than a pair of black aviators in the middle of Alaska would. Dammed curious humans, why could they just mind their own business?. Sauntering around the side of the motel, snow crunching beneath my heavy, bulky boots. I ducked my head as I walked in through the entrance, rubbing my gloved hands together in that classical, 'I'm freezing kind of a way'. I headed towards the 'front desk' of the flea invested motel, it was really just a wobbly table with an ancient computer sat on top beside a couple of old framed photos and a particularly young human reclining in a worn patchy leather chair behind the desk.

"Hey Stan" I greeted the young teen with a convincing shiver. The seventeen year old boy stood up instantly as I drew near.

"Hey Mr Smith" I chuckled inwardly. Only in a small town like this one could someone check into such a sleazy place with a name like 'Smith' and not get an army of weird or knowing looks. If this was Vermont, Stan here, would've looked at my ring finger searching for 'evidence' the moment he saw my false signature. I needed to find my kicks somewhere right?.

"You got any messages for me Stan?" I arched a dark brown eyebrow at the boy. I suppose he must have had some luck with ladies or guys at school. 5Ft 10'' or so, shaggy blonde hair, light dusting of freckles over the slash of his nose, lightly muscular body clad in a simple black work shirt with the motel's 'logo' imposed on the right breast pocket. Not my type, the complete opposite actually.

"Three, ah they're around here somewhere" While the human played hide-and-go-seek with my three post-it notes I glanced around the small room I was stuck in. It was about the same size as my closest back in Volterra, the two shelves mounted on the wall behind the desk were ashamed to display so many tacky knick-knacks, the air was stale and the entire room from ceiling to floor was covered in a light layer of dust. Unsurprising, given the house keeping was a fifteen year old girl trying to pull off twenty one. Young Holly was Stan's sister if my nose was correct. It must be a family 'establishment' as I had only counted three members of staff including the owner.

"No rush" I muttered. Stan, who was on his knees, a position I liked any man, save for gangling blondes, in, accidentally bumped his head on the underside of the desk as he hurried to deliver my messages. They were probably all from Aro. 'Why hadn't I called him back?', 'Why was I so useless?', 'I better call him soon back or he was going to make his brother do bad things to me'. So on and so forth, I'd had it all before and I was damned tired of it, unfortunately for me though, once you were part of the Volturi, the only way one got a pink slip was when you were dead.

"Sorry Holly was 'cleaning' earlier" Stan blushed, handing the bright orange post-its to me.

"I can tell" I drawled sarcastically. Taking my messages without any further words, I turned on my heel and headed back out the main office, I took a right and stalked down the snow covered path, dozens of footprints proceeded my own, at least I would have an assortment of food to chose from if I got hungry. I arrived at the shoe box of a room I was renting for the week, and fished for the old rustic key in the back pocket of my pants. The only other item I carried on my person was a thick roll of hundred dollar bills, it was almost as wide as my wrist so I had no worries about cash shortages. Finally my gloved fingers closed around the old key to my room, pulling the rusted iron from my pants I slid the key into the lock and twisted. The sound of the door unlocking was accompanied by a sharp gasp, I growled under my breath, there was a fucking cockroach in my room and so I have to act like a human. I flung the door open to catch the half naked form of a painfully young girl attempting to pull her jeans on, besides her was an equally flustered boy verging on maybe twenty at a push. Unlike Stan the shitty receptionist though, this boy was definitely more my type. 6Ft 2' two inches shorter than myself', heavily muscled, dark curly hair locks framing a boyishly handsome face and naked as the day he was born.

"What the fuck are you kids doing in here!" I bellowed, feigning outrage when I was actually more interested in the very sizeable package in front of me. The girl wasn't exactly unattractive either, a little flat chested but I could work around that.

"We were ah, I-I...S-sorry sir" The boy mumbled searching frantically for his pants. The two began to shiver reminding me that I was standing in an open doorway. I stepped further into my room, pulled the key out the lock knowing exactly what I was going to be doing with it and shut the door firmly, the central heating was on full blast, it was about the only thing that worked in this damn place.

"You picked the wrong room to mess around in..." I drawled locking the door. The boy, having lost his will to stand in front of me in his birthday suit yanked the messy sheet off the bed and wrapped it around his lean waist. Holly, the young cleaning girl, blushed furiously refusing to meet my gaze, she was a little more presentable, wearing a lacy bra and matching underwear I could see through the open fly of her jeans.

"How old are you?" I rounded on the boy, playing the disgusted adult rather well if I did say so myself.

"Twenty next week" He swallowed hard. The rapid heartbeats across the room were making my mouth water with anticipation. I clamped down my hunger, I had another urge to sate on these two first, after that, who knows?.

"You really think her daddy is gonna let you live that long after I report your dumb ass?" I snapped. I felt heat pool in my stomach as I watched duel looks of pure fear cross over their faces, oh yeah, I missed the young and easily manipulated.

"Please Mr-" Tears cast a bright sheen over Holly's dull brown eyes. I held up my hand to silence them both.

"'Please' nothing you're under age Holly, this is statutory rape." The boy started breathing heavily, arousal suddenly burned through my body sending tingles of awareness over my muscular form straight down to my cock. I wonder what they would both look like, on their knees giving me head at the same time. An impressive bulge appeared at the front of my pants as my cock hardened.

"Please don't tell my dad, I'm in love with Rob, we're gonna get married once I finish school" Holly begged. Her lower lip quivered, I growled low in my throat, so low they wouldn't be able to hear me, I could already feel her lips wrapped around my aching shaft.

"I'm sorry there is nothing I can do, unless..." I pretended to think.

"We'll do anything" _Rob _insisted, nice name I suppose, not that I really wanted to know it. They were both good looking and I was horny that was all there is to it.

"I know..." I smirked wickedly, if only my brother Felix was here to enjoy this with me "...Drop the sheet" Aro's messages were going to have to take a back-seat for the next several hours.

**Victoria's POV.**

"Shouldn't we do something?" Akasha spat, a look of pure disgust marred her stunning face as a loud moans started assaulting our tender ears. We were crouched side by side on the edge of the forest by the crappy motel Demetri had lead us to.

"Like what?. Burst in there and tear Demetri to shreds while unveiling the existence of our world?" I snapped back at her. We both used reposeful tones but by the sounds of things the Volturi's favourite tracker was a 'little' preoccupied with his 'cocktail'.

"It would be preferable to listening to that sick bastard fuck a fifteen year old girl" Akasha growled.

"She isn't exactly a virgin..." I commented "...Besides, kill Demetri and we'll have to kill the humans to cover our tracks. Do you really want the blood of the innocent staining your hands?, because I grew tired of it a long time ago"

"You are right, but still..." Akasha shivered beside me. The thick layer of snow around us dampened our dark attires, not that the freezing temperatures truly had any effect on us.

"In my human days a girl was expected to be married with at least one child by the time they reached fifteen" I pointed out. The notion of sitting on my ass while Demetri defiled such a young girl mere metres away from my location was about as appetising as swallowing a glass of cold vomit. But my own words rang true in my ears, there was no way to get inside the hotel room and assassinate Demetri without alerting the humans. I had mind-fucked enough of them over my long centuries to know that peculiar occurrences, like the mysterious deaths right in front of them, were enough to drive a human over their fragile limits in to insanity. I had no intention of doing so to these humans. They were just going to have to 'play nice' with Demetri like they had with each other.

"With my abilities I could be in and out of there before they even have time to blink" Akasha mused. The moaning coming from room five grew louder as we lingered on the side lines.

"The human mind is a fragile thing Akasha..." I said in way of disagreement "...If he moves to kill them, then we will interfere. But I don't think he is stupid enough to kill two humans were he is sure to be found out, you don't survive this long if you're an idiot." I stressed.

"So what is Aro's excuse?" Akasha drawled. I smirked a little in response to her joke.

"No one has had the strength to go against him before, c'mon you're thousands of years old, you know what the score with Volturi is. Everyone has got a beef with them they just can't be asked to do something about it, because it means change" I murmured. The wind began to pick up slightly, for now it continued to carry mine and Akasha's scents downwind, I just hope that Demetri didn't catch them. I wanted a confrontation with the bastards who threatened my family just as much as the rest of my coven, but I wanted to find out what Aro's plans back in Volterra were first. I didn't do things half-cocked, when I played I did so with my cards close to my chest. Those messages that Demetri had received could be the aces I was looking for.

"Why does everyone look on change as a bad thing?" Akasha grumbled irritably.

"This coming from a being as old as you who still has a sodding accent?" I teased.

"You're fine one to talk, were you born in England by any chance?" Akasha teased right back.

"Piss off..." I snapped playfully. We both laughed a little "...Just out of curiosity, what kind of an accent do you have?"

"One that is long dead. I was born in a land and time that no longer exists, my accent is the last real reminder I have of home" Akasha sighed regretfully. I felt a twinge of sympathy in my chest for the taller woman, I shook it off by prompting myself to recall the reason why I didn't like the woman crouched beside me in the Alaskan snow.

"The world really has changed over the centuries" I murmured.

"Yes but you are still young. You haven't seen the rise and fall of nations and empires nor have you witnessed the swift flow of time" Akasha whispered distantly as thought she were remembering some of the ancient times.

"You have regrets then, besides the obvious of course" The barb wasn't intentional but to be fair she didn't seem to mind me brining up her relinquishment of Bella.

"I regret not standing my ground when Caius commissioned the _Sicarii _to hunt my kind, if I hadn't run, yes there would've have been more bloodshed but at least there would still be a place for Fae in the world. Besides_ Mea _Elena, Bella and the twins I haven't seen another of my race for over four millennia..." Akasha's tone took one a remorseful hue.

"...I am truly sorry for what three members of my kind did to Caius's mate, but they were punished by my hand, I do not see why my entire race had to fall for one little mistake made by inexperienced younglings that were executed the very moment I discovered their crime" Akasha growled aggressively. The very air surrounding the Fae beside me seemed to heat dangerously.

"You can all claim the high ground one way or another" I clenched my jaw and locked my lithe muscles, it was the only way to prevent myself from instinctively putting space between myself and my companion.

"Caius lost a mate and I lost two daughters because of his grudge" Akasha snarled. Confusion gripped me in it's icy hand.

"'Two'?..." I frowned. Akasha's eyes darkened, the whites of her irises fading to a bottomless pool of blackness. I swallowed back the fear beginning to churn in my stomach and held my ground beside her, I would lose what respect she had for me if I fled now, besides the blonde Fae clearly needed someone to talk to. My beloved Esme would be dearly upset with me if she found out I let someone wallow in their misery when I had the opportunity to assist them vent out their sadness. And to be honest, if I was to decide that I could stomach her after all, we were going to be having long talks about family anyway.

"...Bella has a sister?" I continued wearily, fully preparing myself to leap away from the emotional woman beside me if needs be.

"Had" Akasha corrected gently.

"_Sicarii?" _I asked quietly. I was beginning to understand why Akasha had felt the need to give Bella over to adoptive parents, if the older Fae had lost her eldest daughter while they were together as a family. What inclination was there that Bella would be any safer?. I glanced at my companion, the dark sky above us emphasised the pure white strands of her thick hair, tied back from her ageless face in a long braid, a few rebellious tendrils brushed her pale forehead.

"Yes" Akasha breathed, a low growl rumbled low in her chest. I shivered subtly. For some reason I recalled when I had lost James, we had been friends since we were children and occasionally we were lovers. I didn't care for him nearly as much as I did for my Esme. But his loss had been great. I had felt truly alone for the first time in my life when he was taken from me.

"I don't really have the right to judge you for leaving Bella" I finally murmured. She had opened up to me, told me something that obviously plagued her and hurt her to this very day. I could do the same. If we were to feel some sort of camaraderie in our fight with the Volturi and _Sicarii, _it was essential.

"I find that very hard to believe, she loves you as her mother and you clearly feel the same for her" Akasha's jaw clenched somewhat.

"Now I do..." I continued after she cast a frown of confusion my way, knowing full well that I was about to have my ass handed to me "...A century ago I was going to kill her" I didn't even have a second to blink before I found myself being tackled into the snow. Cold, melted snow seeped through the back of my black tank top. That wasn't the worst of my problems though, The angry Fae straddling my hips with her hard hand wrapped around my throat was.

"What?" Akasha's hiss would've had a lesser vampire pissing in her pants, however I had already located a weakness in her coiled body. I might be able to get away if I timed it right.

"Get a hold over yourself numbnuts..." I gasped, her hand tightened around my windpipe, I didn't need to breathe but I did need to form words, her unbreakable hold was almost stopping me from doing that.

"...Its a...long time passed..." I panted. I couldn't get any words out, her strangle hold was too tight.

"Why?" Akasha growled. A definite promise that if she didn't like my answer I was going to be bidding the world goodbye. I was gonna be taken away from Esme for opening my mouth?. _No fucking way_. Anger suddenly raged powerfully at the core of my being, invigorating my muscles until I managed to raise my legs, thank the Gods for my flexibility, I hooked my long legs around her torso, so my crossed ankles were beneath her chin. I pushed with all my strength, she hadn't been expecting that, she went flying through the air, her strong hold on my throat roughly dragged me up onto my knees in the snow while she landed in a heap several feet away from me. We both shifted into aggressive crouches.

"Would you fucking listen to me for a second?..." I croaked. Rubbing my throat like an injured human would.

"...I was going to kill her...until I found her in a broken heap on the forest floor in Forks thanks to that piece of shit Edward. When she saw me standing over her, she looked resigned, like whatever I did to her wouldn't matter. Something clicked inside me that day, maybe it was maternal instinct or my conscience coming back to life. I don't know. What I do know is that I physically cannot hurt her"

"As comforting as that is, it doesn't answer my question" Akasha growled, her posture was beginning to look less agressive. I didn't relax though. A fight with us would be like a puppy trying to get the better of a Doberman. I might of gotten the best of her once but now she had a full view of my body, she'd see me coming a mile away. So to speak.

"Edward killed a very dear friend. I wanted revenge on him and him alone, but he was always hiding behind his _daddy" _I sneered. If I had the chance to got back in time I would've stuck around the first day I lay eyes on Esme, waited for the mating bond to grip me, so I would've been able to spare my mate the pain of a broken marriage and it repercussions. I was such a damned fool. Silence dawned over us for long minutes.

"Sorry about that. The thing that really matters is that you didn't hurt Bella when you could have" Akasha leaned her delicate weight back on her haunches, I followed suit a little hesitantly.

"So you see, we are not so different. We both hurt Bella a long time ago and we both want to make up for it now..." I murmured.

"I suppose you are right Victoria" Akasha stood gracefully and returned to her former perch, crouching in the snow, looking over the motel. During the commotion the desperate moans being elicited from the cheap room had grown in intensity.

"...And by that I mean you have making up to do. I earned her forgiveness ages ago" I drawled teasingly as I returned to crouch beside her.

"I am aware of that..." Akasha grumbled with a small smile "...And who knows, perhaps we can even be friends some day" I snorted as I looked from her to the me-shaped disturbance in the snow a few metres away from us. A slow smirk cured the left corner of my mouth upwards.

"Did you let me do that?" I tilted my head back towards the snow behind us.

"No" Akasha's eyes lightened.

"Good" I returned my attention to the motel. Loud screams erupted from Demetri's room.

"So..." Akasha prompted. I grinned, if she couldn't guess our change in relationship then I didn't see why I should point it out. Much more fun this way.

"What was your eldest daughter's name?..." I asked, ignoring her questioning gaze. A dark shadow dimmed Akasha's neon blue eyes, I nudged her shoulder with mine. A friendly gesture.

"...We will avenge her soon" I stated confidently. Esme was going to be so happy that I had finally found common ground with Akasha. I smiled as warmth constricted my around my heart. I couldn't wait to return home, to my mate, I had spent far to much time away from Esme for my liking.

"Dana. Her name was Dana" Akasha clarified softly.

"Nice name. I know Bella looks more like Elena so did Dana look like you?" I murmured.

"Yes. Only her eyes were different. The same colour obviously, but hers were more lively than mine" A pained expression painted itself onto Akasha's ageless face.

"Children are the greatest gift one can be given, even when they're being a pain in the derrière"

"So very true"

**Rosalie****'s POV.**

"...Where is Ashley?..." Emmett's baby voice carried through the living room "...There she is" In my bear of a brother's lap my daughter suddenly became visibly, I grinned widely as Ashley suddenly started gurgling and waving her little hands, apparently praising her uncle Emmy for finding her.

"That is so awesome" Emmett grinned as he lifted Ashley up in his massive arms earning him a happy squeal. I sighed a little, while I had expected the twins to form some sort of power early on, invisibility wasn't quite the result I wanted. When I had found their crib empty my heart had nearly restarted with the cold shock and acidic fear that washed over me.

"You okay?" I titled my head back, Bella and myself were both sprawled out on the leather couch, my mate leaned back against the armrest and I was laying between her long legs. Lucas was being pampered by Elena and Esme in the kitchen. I didn't know what the older women were doing but I was sure my little boy was safe with them. My acute senses would tell me otherwise.

"Why wouldn't I be?" I traded resting my head back on her warm shoulder. I felt her arms, wrapped around my slender waist, tighten gently.

"Should I take that as a no then?" Bella purred into my ear. Turning my head towards, I leaned up to brush my lips over hers, the soft velvety texture of her mouth against mine made me sigh as I pulled away.

"Nothing is wrong. Relax, enjoy the respite because they are going to want a feed soon" I mumbled, settling back against my mate.

"And then its bath time" The mock enthusiasm I could hear in my mate melodious voice made me laugh a little. It didn't matter which twin Bella tried undressing for a bath, they delighted in putting up the best fight they could.

"And they turn invisible now..." I patted Bella's light muscled thigh comfortingly as she began whimpering teasingly.

"...Have fun trying to get them outta their clothes now love" I smiled. Nuzzling my face in to the slender curve of her neck, the warmth of her body behind mine lulled my senses into a blissfully contented mess. When Bella was near nothing could go wrong in the world.

"How about you undress them while I run the bath?" Bella suggested. I pressed tiny kisses to the pale tender skin, laying so temptingly beneath my full lips.

"If you think that will save you" I agreed. Nipping at her skin gently with my teeth. I stopped when I felt her begin to squirm behind me.

"You guys will never guess what I just bought" Kate was suddenly leaning over the back of the couch, I looked up at my grinning sister.

"I don't see any bags" I commented, sensing Bella nod her accord behind me.

"That is because this baby would never fit in a bag..." Kate bit her lower lip to stifle a squeal. I shared a look with my mate. I hadn't gone shopping in so long, since having the twins, the closest I got to a spree was when I got onto the internet. But now really wasn't the time to worry about my lacking wardrobe, besides when this mess with the Volturi was over with I could go shopping in _Milan_.

"You didn't" Emmett suddenly perked up, looking at his mate with avid devotion brightening his golden eyes.

"I did" Kate nodded.

"Oh yeah this is a good day" Emmett grinned as he rocked Ashley back and forth in his bulging arms.

"Dude since when did you like shopping?" Bella asked.

"Since we spotted an Aston Martin DBR1 for sale. It isn't anymore..." Kate sang with a smile. She suddenly looked down at me with a frown "...You're a car buff Rose why aren't you glaring at me."

"Besides the fact I'm too relaxed to care?..." I smirked as I snuggled closer to my mate "...I already have one" Kate and Emmett both gasped as though I had just announced that their favourite football team had just lost a match.

"You never said!" Kate exploded.

"Why did I sign the divorce papers?" Emmett whined, settling Ashley in his lap. My daughter was beginning to get hungry, I could see the bruised purple hue of her eyes from across the glass coffee table.

"Because I would've killed you if I had found you were still married to _my _mate?" Bella growled possessively. Emmett chuckled nervously, realising that he had just invoked the jealousy of both my mate and his own.

"Nice one Em" I drawled sarcastically. Bella's eyes darkened dangerously as she glared at my fool of an ex-husband. Somehow managing to turn on my side, I did the only thing I knew was sure to gain my mate's heated attention. I pressed my ample breasts into her own, wincing gently as my soft mounds suddenly swelled against the confines of my plain, strapless, bra.

"I didn't mean that" Emmett tried to cover himself. I rolled my neon blue eyes fondly, I never did manage to convince Emmett of the merits involved when one thought before they spoke. I let a slow purr rumble from my chest when I found Bella's eyes glancing down at me, the dark tone remained. I could hear Emmett and Kate arguing, somewhere in the back of my mind, as I pressed my chest more firmly against my mate's. Bella's answering purr finally told me that she didn't want to kill Emmett any longer, just torture him for a couple days, but it was an improvement. Leaning up I licked the seam of my mate's mouth. I don't know which of us moved first, but our lips were crushed together and our tongues were tangling. Loud moans of blossoming arousal falling from both of our hungry mouths. Only the high pitched cry of my daughter was able to dominantly wrestle my attention away from my mate's sweet taste. I pulled away from Bella's succulent lips, placing my right hand flat against the top of her chest when she tried to follow, to prolong our kiss. Another squeal made us both turn our heads. Ashley was holding her tiny hands out towards us. I flashed across the living room, Emmett didn't even see me coming before I was lifting my daughter out of his arms.

"Cool it Kate. This idiot..." I gently slapped the back of Emmett's head with the flat of my free hand, barely hard enough to sting though his dramatic groan said otherwise

"...Is all yours" I sauntered back over to Bella. My mate's eyes cleared, literally glowing their usual gorgeous neon blue. Settling on the edge of the couch, I felt Bella's strong arms encircle my waist, the light scent of my mate's arousal drifted towards me. I licked my lips slowly and forced my attention onto the hungry bundle in my arms.

"Uh huh. C'mon dear lets take this domestic away from the happy couple and their hungry child shall we?" Even though Kate's tone was sardonic, still it left no room for argument on Emmett's end.

"Are you gonna kill me?" Emmett joked weakly.

"Not yet" Kate answered swiftly. I could tell she was only messing around but I still felt slightly sorry for him, he clearly wasn't going to be getting any for a while.

"Dumb ass" Bella accused once the door had shut behind the other mated pair. I smirked a little before I noticed that Ashley was nuzzling the side of my left breast, searching for my nipple even through the thin material of my crimson, strapless, top. The material was easy to stretch, the main reason why I'd worn it. Pulling my top down over my swollen breasts with one hand, I felt Bella shift behind me, pressing the softness of her chest into my back. I didn't have to move the cup of my strapless bra, Bella did it for me, baring my naked breast to the cool air. I tensed a little as Ashley latched onto my nipple, she started sucking instantly, it still felt a little weird when I fed my children. It wasn't too bad though, as least I wasn't sore.

"This is Emmett we're talking about, Bella he is entitled to be a little..." I shivered when I felt Bella subtly begin stroking the side of my breast with her knuckles.

"Idiotic?" Bella supplied helpfully.

"Thats one word for it" I agreed a little shakily. The warmth of Bella's breath on the back of my neck sent tingles over my skin.

"Mmm suicidal is another" The softness of my mate's lips fluttered against my shoulder, the sharp sting of her teeth quickly followed the tender caress.

"He didn't mean it" I shuddered. Bella latched onto my dormant pulse point as our daughter continued feeding. It felt wrong to enjoy my mate's touch while I fed our baby, I cringed away from my mate slightly.

"I know..." Bella finally sighed, resting her head on my shoulder, her hands trailed down to cup my hips.

"Good" I titled my head to kiss her forehead lovingly. Suddenly the living room door opened, Elena walked in ahead of Esme, the latter was holding my son in her arms.

"What in the world was Emmett talking about?, Bella isn't trying to kill him..." Esme stated when her warm golden eyes settled on us.

"...Silly boy" My mother declared with a fond smile.

**Chelsea's POV.**

"Why do I always find you in the most annoying of places?" I was unsurprised when Heidi crept up behind me.

"How is this annoying?" I turned to ask the younger vampire.

"Well you know how most people love the soothing sounds of waves gently brushing up on the shore?..." Heidi purred with a languid smile.

"Yeah?" I nodded. I had found a secluded beach near Forks on one of my pointless meanderings, it was a nice place to imagine what life would be like if I could just pluck up the necessary courage to tell Maria how much the Spanish vampire meant to me. What the bond between us meant.

"...I really fucking hate that sound" Heidi stated with a straight face. I burst out laughing at the blunt admission. Heidi chuckled a little as she drew closer to me.

"Where is Irina?" I asked. Normally the Russian vampire stayed protectively close to Heidi's side if my descendant decided to stray this far away from the mansion in Alaska.

"I convinced her to wait in town, then when we were done me and her would play hide and go screw" I grinned widely even as I shook my head. Heidi had always boasted a deathly high sex drive, but these days, now that she was mated, it was hard to find the younger vampire fully dressed and not with Irina's hand down her pants.

"Well aren't you the lucky one" I drawled. Looking out over the dull grey sea, so very different from the views in Italy, it bluer than blue seas all around. I wonder if Bella intended to stay at Volterra when all was said and done, it was her birthright. Then again Bella may decide that she wanted nothing to do with governing the vampire race after she'd killed Aro. Where would that leave us then, with another tyrant in the lead position?. I already knew Caius and Marcus had no intention of sticking around Volterra once they'd avenged Didyme. So what was next?.

"So this is where you've been hiding out huh?" Heidi's warm arm snaked around my compact shoulders, it really sucked to be so short. At 5ft 3'' my head didn't even reach the younger vampire's shoulder. My descendant was never without her four inch heels, adding even more unnecessary height to her already impressive and voluptuous 5ft 10''.

"I haven't been hiding" I denied the truth easily and uselessly it would seem, judging from the tightening of her arm around my shoulders.

"Bullshit..." Heidi drawled in a sing-song voice. I growled at her playfully "...would it make you happy to know that Maria has been trying to find you. Poor thing has been going out of her mind, because someone hasn't made it back to the house in three days."

"You found me easily enough" I muttered. Even as my unbeating heart almost restarted at the notion, my mate was looking for me. I wanted to turn on my heel and bolt through the forest until I found Maria, but I would be forced to play down my affections and I just didn't think I could do it anymore. Being so close to the one I was meant to be with, to provide for, to protect, to make happy. And know that she would deny my advances was torture. Every day the daggers inside of my chest grew that much sharper, hacking away at the organ in my chest, until I felt I'd go insane from the pain.

"Yeah but she has that unfortunate psyche keeping her at bay. She wants to find you, to be with you. But alas the memory of Rodrigo, her former lover, is keeping her from you. Her one true mate..." Heidi sighed dramatically.

"...Should've been a writer. I can rock this melodramatic love shit" I laughed helplessly. The storm in my chest abated a little now that I had Heidi doing her best to put a smile on my face.

"That you can sweetie" I agreed with a half-smile. As happy as my grand daughter, there was really no point to putting voice to how many generations there was between us, made me. I needed Maria.

"Seriously though. You two have danced around each other long enough, and I'm getting tired of seeing and saying it, but you really need to tango already" Heidi exclaimed in exasperation.

"What does that even mean?" I grumbled. I knew what I had to do, but I couldn't risk pushing Maria away from me. I wouldn't survive the loss.

"You need to get out there, because she is still looking for you, you need to grab her and do a lot of mushy stuff to her and then...when she finally realises that she loves you as much as you love her. You need to move your hand slowly down towards her-" Heidi's tone turned foxy.

"Enough of that!" I interrupted my raunchy companion.

"But it was just getting good" Heidi pouted down at me, a lively sparkle gleamed in her golden eyes.

"We are related you know" I reminded. I wouldn't feel comfortable thinking about Heidi and Irina and I didn't see how Heidi could possibly think about me and Maria. Maybe it was the difference in age.

"Eww yeah I forgot about that..." Heidi drawled with a shiver, I laughed even as I poked her hard in her exposed ribs, at least my lack of height let me get to anyone's sensitive areas with a lot more ease than a taller person.

"..Ow" Heidi leapt away from me cradling her 'abused' ribs.

"Oh please if that actually hurt I feel sorry for Irina, having such a weak mate" I teased.

"Grandma you are lucky I have a date or I would be grilling your ass right about now" Heidi purred.

"Whatever..." I sobered somewhat "...Speaking of that date you better be getting back to Irina." I started inching towards the green forest with Heidi's comforting presence beside me.

"And you?. What will you be doing this crappy evening?" Heidi asked. I glanced up to the grey sky, it looked as thought it was soon going to rain, unsurprising given how close we were to Forks.

"I'm gonna tango" I drawled determinedly. Maria was my mate, we both wanted each other, she wouldn't push me away. Why else would she come looking for me if she didn't feel _something_.

"Hey thats my Grandma..." I rolled my eyes as we continued walking through the forest, the scents of pine needles assaulting our sensitive nostrils.

"...I just hope for your sake, and Maria's, that you remember how to bust-a move" Heidi grinned at her innuendo.

"You're impossible" I complained.

"That is why you love me..." Heidi smiled. Swooping down to plant a kiss on my cheek before she took off at a jog towards the town, she looked like a Giselle with long legs and casual grace.

"...Happy humping!" She called over her shoulder.

"I could say the same thing!" I yelled after her. Her playful laughter drifted towards me on the light breeze. I rolled my eyes as I sent off in the opposite direction, as I ran I became more and more aware of the forest around me. The scents and sounds of the individual trees, the dew stained grass, the annoying little insects that liked to feast on unprepared hikers, the birds either flying effortlessly in the sky or settling into their nests high in the tall trees above me. One could almost lose themselves in natural aura of the forest. It was simple out here. Nothing to cause stress or heartache. Peaceful. But I wouldn't find peace until I held Maria safely in my arms. Suddenly I caught a scent, not just any scent, but the sweet intoxicating aroma of my mate. I skidded to a stop in the middle of the forest, if I had to guess I would say I was drawing close to the Canadian border. I glanced around, looking any tell-tale signs that Maria was close. I smiled gently, I should sense her about a half mile to the north-east. Eagerly I set off after my mate again.

"...Maria." I stopped just before I became visibly to the Latina vampire, the wind carried my scent away from her. She knew I was close, I could tell from the way she suddenly turned in a steady circle, looking for me. I bounded forth once her back was facing towards me. I stealthy sneaked forward on light feet. I paused for a moment before deciding that I wasn't about to waste this opportunity. Waiting patiently, I stood very close to her, her warmth merged with my own as I lay in wait. When she turned to face me once again, I reached out with my hands, gripping her slender waist.

This was it. The moment I had anticipated my entire life. I pulled her towards me without saying a word. She was taller than I. Trailing one hand up over her strong back, I cupped the warm back of her slender neck, pulling her down toward me. She didn't protest or resist. I smirked gently before I leaned forth, closing the distance between us. Lightning burst through me the second our lips met for the first time. Time drew to a stand still as I marvelled over the softness of her lips beneath mine. Never before, over my three thousand years, had something felt so right, so natural. I was born to kiss Maria.

"...No..." I didn't let her weak resistance deter me. She turned her head away from me only slightly. Leaving me with no choice but to brush my lips against the corner of her sweet mouth insistently. Her small whimpers and gasps made me growling huskily in answer.

"Mine..." I felt her fists press against the small of my back as I sought out the tender skin of her neck with my lips. If after this I was forced to live without her, then at least she would bare my mark for all to see. The painful twisting in my chest spurned me on, I lapped at the sweet tasting skin covering my mate's dormant pulse point. Groaning gently at the succulent taste, I nipped teasingly with my teeth. Her gasps turned to loud moans. She shivered in my arms, with my hand on her lean hip, I was jerked her against me forcefully. Pressing our bodies together tightly, our flat stomachs, our lean hips, ample breasts meshing together as one.

"..._Mine" _I repeated. Instinct demanded a claiming. I couldn't deny it. I didn't want to. Not anymore. As I sank my sharp teeth into the slender column of my mate's neck, Maria's loud cry sent bolts of arousal sharpshooting directly to my clit. My sensitive bundle of nerves pulsed demandingly as I increased the pressure I was exerting with my oval shaped jaw. Intoxicating venom seeped into my mouth as my teeth pierced my mate's tender flesh. Her hands flattened against the small of my back as I slowly began sucking at the small wound in her neck, just enough to make the mark permanent, just enough to convince me that there was nothing sweeter than the unique taste of my mate. I reluctantly released the soft skin between my sharp teeth. Bracing myself for her reaction. Her anger I could take. But not the response I found waiting for me when I gazed into her beautiful face. Her black eyes were glowing brightly with tears that didn't have the means to fall. I winced internally, feeling as though someone had just punched me in the sternum, I knew I should've have waited.

"I can't be yours" Maria whispered. Despite my guilt over rushing her, I couldn't contain my snarl of protest. I was done competing with a damned ghost. A ghost that held no claim to my mate.

Maria _was _my mate.

She bore my mark.

Signed, sealed, delivered.

_Mine._

"This says otherwise..." I leaned forward to possessively swipe my tongue over my mark, displayed proudly on her neck. Her clipped moan and shiver of pleasure should have been enough to convince her that we were mates.

"...I love you Maria but I'm not waiting anymore" Damned if my inner animal would let me now that she wore my mark, I growled in primal satisfaction. The expensive silk of my clothes was too heavy, too uncomfortable against my overly sensitised skin. I needed to feel her naked body against mine. Now.

"Stop. We're not...We can't..." Her confusion pulled painfully at my unbeating heart. I slid my hand, cupping the nape of her neck, down to grip her hip.

"Tell me to leave and I will" I promised. I would be true to my word. But now that we were half bonded, she couldn't be without me anymore than I could be without her. It was the way of bonded mates. Her short nails dug into my back, through my black silk shirt, hard enough to sting pleasantly. That was enough for me to recapture her soft lips with my own. She remained unresponsive for a moment, until I pulled her full lower lip between my teeth, I traced the soft, sweet tasting flesh with the tip of my tongue. My eyes fluttered closed as her moan rang out around us. I let go of her lip with an insistent growl, her lips parted in answer. I plunged my tongue into her mouth, snarling at the heavenly taste of my mate. She tasted like sunshine. I could hear myself beginning to breathe heavily as she tangled her tongue with mine, hesitantly at first. But she gradually began kissing me back with more confidence. A loud snapping of a nearby branch caught my attention, I jerked away from Maria slightly, flashing my stunned mate to spot none other than Demetri standing several metres away from us, like a dear caught in the headlights of an oncoming truck. He was a skilled tracker, I could attest for that, so either he was getting sloppy or my new bond with Maria allowed me to pick up on the tiniest of sounds.

"...I got him!" Victoria's light English accent rang out of nowhere. Maria shifted closer to me as the redheaded matriarch appeared out of nowhere, bounding towards Demetri faster than a vampire her age should be able to. I tensed to join my sister, until a powerful gust of wind announced Akasha's presence.

"...Me first" The tall blonde Fae was suddenly grabbing Demetri by his throat, lifting him off his feet and three inches up in the air, he didn't stand a chance against her.

"Bloody Fae" Victoria cursed as she skidded to a stop beside Akasha.

"Don't be like that, you can have the next one" Akasha suddenly dropped Demetri onto his knees in the snow, I could scent his fear from here.

"Are you okay?" The rational side of me knew it was impossible for my mate to be hurt but I just needed to be certain on an instinctive level.

"Fine" Maria snapped harshly. I grimaced as she turned on her heel and stalked away. Maybe her anger over my rushed claiming had been a little delayed. I smiled lovingly despite the situation I found myself in. She was mine at last.

"I'd go after her" Victoria announced as Akasha drew back her fist and slammed her balled up hand into the side of Demetri's face, the young vampire slumped onto the ground, unconscious. The sound of Akasha's titanium hard skin connecting with the granite like flesh of Demetri's face echoed loudly through the forest.

"So would I" Akasha encouraged as she slung Demetri over her slender shoulder like he was a bag of grain and weight lighter than a feather.

"Show-off" Victoria accused. Akasha smiled brashly

"You wanna carry my catch for me?" Akasha raised her shoulder, making Demetri's slumped form sway.

"Don't push it" Victoria warned. I rolled my eyes before I turned on my heel and set off after my mate.

**Alexia's POV.**

"Here" I snapped tossing my brother a small box from Tiffany's, inside was the most showy, diamond engagement ring I could get my hands on. I'd even had the fucker engraved with ancient glyphs depicting _Sicarii _wedding vows. Call me sentimental.

"Thanks" Peyral said, catching the red velvet box in both hands. I returned my attention to the TV screen ahead of me. There wasn't much on, so I'd settled for watching the Saw collection on DVD. As amusing I as found these staged torture scenes I was beginning to get bored. The Volturi compound didn't offer much in the way of entertainment, especially since Corin had mysteriously disappeared.

"You're welcome..." I muttered disinterestedly, as he opened the jewellery box. "...With the amount that rock cost I could've bought an island to house a fifth of our younglings until they reached maturity. I hope you realise" I grumbled to divert the gratitude I could feel coming.

"We'll soon have all the land we need" Peyral murmured as he tucked the box into the inside pocket of his, three piece, suit jacket.

"Given to us by vampires, the fucking spawn of our enemies" I snapped with an aggressive hiss. Boredom only fuelled my frustrations, it had been far too long since I'd had a fight and I was getting irritated. Like a caged tigress.

"What are you going to do to the vampires once you've taken care of the Fae?" Peyral asked curiously, lingering in the doorway like a bee around pollen.

"Sit..." I patted the four seater leather couch beside me, Peyral moved forward like a dog being called by it's master "...What do you think I'm going to do to them?" I retorted once my brother was sat beside me.

"Is that a trick question?" Peyral smiled.

"They're the less worthy mirrors of Fae, I'm gonna exterminate them like the plague of locusts that they are. With you at my side of course" I murmured. Knowing that he would never help me in such a violent venture. He would probably be on the run in a year's time. He would be viewed as a disgrace if he didn't partake in our hunt. I knew he wouldn't. By right I should kill him. But he was my brother, I could no more hurt him than I could myself.

"Mmm..." Peyral murmured his reluctant agreement.

"That is a hunt for another time though, when our dear old dad is in his grave and I don't have to cater to his whims" I said gently.

"That'll be the day" Peyral sighed longingly.

"Yes it will..." I agreed "...I grow weary of this waiting, gather the others we're going to Alaska tomorrow" The powerfully unique venom running through my veins heated at the prospect of finally facing a worthy opponent in my old friend, Akasha.

**TBC. . .**


	38. Chapter 38

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything associated with the movie or the books, the only things I do take credit for are Ocs and any mistakes ;p

**Chapter Thirty eight, Alexia's POV.**

"We will approach the mansion from the right flank, depending on wind direction. As soon as I know exactly where our prey is, then we move in for extraction. Kill anyone that gets in your way but make it clean, by my estimate Akasha has failed to fully train her daughter in the art elemental combat, any emotional jolts may become the trigger Bella needs..." I glanced around at each of my companions faces I set out the details of our operation. The three of us were sat around a circular oak table.

Jax nodded every so often, his cruelly edged face signalling his utter compliance and eagerness for bloodshed. Peyral stood a little ways apart from us, the far more experienced hunters, his slender arms crossed over his lithe chest, he looked physically ill, his eyes were unfocused, their colour had become far lighter than they should be, a murky brown, like the bottom of a dirty puddle. While Lyssandra stared back me, a small smirk playing the at corner of her full lips, her natural scent had become far more potent over the passing minutes we'd all spent inside my bedroom in the Volturi compound.

I knew exactly where her head was, or where she wanted it to be, and it wasn't in the game, it was between my thighs. I sighed harshly, my aristocratically sculpted nostrils flaring as our dark eyes locked, I let loose a slow warning grow, her smirk only grew wider. Out the corner of my eye I could see Peyral glancing between us, a small frown furrowing his light blonde eyebrows.

"Have you packed the lengths of ore Peyral?" I snapped. Demanding his full attention, he shook himself as he turned to face me completely. He had been leaning back against one of the carved bedposts.

"Six lengths of ore, each a metre long. Ready for transport" Peyral nodded. His soft tone was shaky, he was like a schoolboy about to sit midterm examinations.

My chest constricted as I stared back my baby brother, his features so similar to mine in their painfully beautiful aristocratic structure, but his eyes were soft, like our mother's. It would soon be make or break time. He would have to prove himself capable, or he would have to spend the rest of his life on the run. Not that he knew that. He might even think that I could save him from the disastrous fate I envisioned coming for him. I couldn't. I may be a prodigy assassin with a taste for sadistic killing techniques, but even I could not stand against a hundred of my kind and live through it.

"Good. Lyss, is the jet ready?" I arched my platinum blonde eyebrow at my brother's future mate.

"Mmmhm" Lyssandra purred. I glanced sideways at Jax, my bulky nest-mate had violence on his mind, I could tell from the small rumbling growls falling from his thin lips. I smirked at my long time hunting companion. I had chosen my brother's soon to be guardians well. Lyssandra would refocus on the matter at hand when her feet hit our hunting ground.

"Just remember. Do not harm Bella, her mate, or her children. If she discovers her powers, getting her here will be impossible" I growled.

"Why?" Peyral asked, brushing his hand over his oval shaped jaw. He might be trying to stall now that we were ready to move, in fact I was almost certain of it, but I couldn't allow my brother's nerves to get in the way of my hunt. I lived for this moment. I lived to cause pain and suffering. To kill. And I relished it. Like an addict to a drug, and I was in need of a fix.

"Because she'll melt the damn G550..." Lyssandra drawled, eyeing my brother, her mate, like a bug under a microscope. I could understand her annoyance to a degree. If Peyral couldn't kill, then it wouldn't just be him that went on the run for the rest of his existence, it would be Jax and Lyssandra also.

"...And do you know how hard it is to restrain someone when you're in water?. Not just water, the fucking ocean?, not to mention that Fae are like worms when they're caught. Harmless enough but man!, can they fucking wriggle" Lyssandra grimaced in disgust.

"Just keep your kills clean and discreet..." I growled at them "...We may have to take a stealthy approach" The one method I went out of my way to avoid, I enjoyed flaunting my superior abilities. And it wasn't me just be being arrogant. _Sicarri _were at the top of the supernatural food chain, it was just so unfortunate that not many knew it until it was too late.

"We should use our _Gladius _to claim our victims then?" Jax murmured. His large paw of a hand trailing down to his thick belt, his longer fingers encircled the worn leather hilt of his seven inch, double edged blade strapped to his muscular thigh, the weapon itself was forged out of glowing purple ore, named after it's creator, my brother.

"Yes. When we get inside the jet be sure to put on your _Procul _medallions" I instructed. The gold pendants were used like a communicational earpiece, providing us with the means to convey telepathically with each other. The medallions were commonly produced into groups of six, each one baring the same accident rune, displayed in diamonds on the face of the centrepiece, which prevented any other _Sicarri _from eavesdropping as only pendants with the same rune granted access to that particular conversation.

"Does that mean I have to keep my thoughts rated PG?" Lyssandra pouted, Jax chuckled darkly, obvious assuming the curvy redhead was talking about our approaching hunt. I narrowed my eyes on her, the dark pools filled with suspicion, what if Lyssandra were to deliberately recall our little 'liaison' in my bedroom a couple of days before?. So many political problems could come of it if the news were to reach the home-front, let alone what the knowledge would do to my brother.

"Are you capable of anything else Lyss?" I forced myself to drawl playfully. Despite my answering threat to her attempted seduction I would have to play nicely until our hunt was over and my brother no longer wore the _Procul _medallion.

"Wouldn't you like to know _Prima?"_ Lyssandra purred. I smirked in response, before I pushed my chair out and straightened to my full height, I was expected to grow at least two more inches despite being an even 6ft at present. _Sicarri _were considered adults after or first hunt, but we weren't fully grown until we reached eight thousand and five hundred years in age. Ridiculous but apparently true.

"You can tell me all about it when we're airborne, now lets get moving. The sooner this is over the better for all our kind" I smirked.

Jax was on his feet instantly, his hulking frame was corded with muscle clad in a tight black t-shirt that looked as though it could hardly contain Jax's broad chest, his impossibly long legs clad in leather pants, his _Gladius_ strapped to his left thigh, and on his feet he wore black combat boots. Lyssandra climbed to her feet gracefully, dressed identically to Jax in regards to her lower body including the positioning of her _Gladius_, but instead of a t-shit, a tight black tank top strained over her ample chest, her long flame red hair was pinned back from her face and left to flow down her back. I was dressed likewise to Lyssandra, only I carried two _Gladius _strapped to either leg. Peyral was the only one standing out, dressed in black slacks, dress shoes and a silk shirt open at the neck and the long sleeves rolled up to his elbows. No weaponry was to be found on his person. I rolled my cold black eyes in exasperation, he could at least try to force some enthusiasm. I lingered while the other three filed out of the bedroom, before following after them, sensing two presences outside my door.

"What?" I hissed after gesturing for my hunters to continue down to the elevators that would take us to the surface. Unlike vampires our skin didn't glimmer in the sunlight, meaning we didn't have to fuss over covering our unnaturally pale skin. We did have to be careful about our facial expressions, our longer than normal canines did actually lengthen into fangs when we hunted. Just another weapon at our disposal.

"You're going to need me" A lightly accented voice greeted me as its owner inched toward me accompanied by the taller, slightly more muscular yet distinctively feminine form of her mate.

"Not today I won't" I leaned my shoulder against the door frame as I stared down at my enemy's Achilles heel. She really was quite pretty with her classically defined features.

"Trust me Alexia" The lilting feminine tone implored.

"I don't trust anyone, its how I've survived this long" I drawled with an arrogant smirk, knowing how much it irked my guest. Her mate shifted closer to her side. I would never understand why my father had granted them sanctuary in our ancestral lands after the purge. Their relationship was a travesty, a stain of the name of _Sicarri_.

"Then it is a day of firsts for your family. Peyral his first hunt and you, placing your trust in someone" I smirked at her falsely confident tone. She knew just as well as I, that I could easily end her live here and now, right before her mate's eyes. But I wouldn't, I would need them one day. Maybe that day was this one.

"You even think about betraying me, I will make you watch as I tear your 'mate' apart before I move onto you and believe me when I say you will beg for death long before she comes. Understand?" I purred sweetly, glancing back and forth between the mated couple. At their nods of abidance, I held my bare arm out, gesturing for them to follow after my hunters. Today was sure to be interesting.

**Bella's POV.**

"...He hasn't moved an inch since yesterday" Emmett murmured quietly. I glanced up at my tall brother, he hadn't been my first choice to watch over Demetri through the night simply because he was alot younger than our 'guest'. But after thinking through each scenario that involved the Volturi guard's escape, I realised that there really wasn't any chance of Demetri escaping the mansion. He must come up with the same conclusion because he hadn't even glanced towards a window or other means of liberation.

"Most vampires know when they're beaten" I replied softly. I could sense Jasper and Tanya drawing near to the living room as I stared at Demetri, the Volturi guard was sat on one of our four seater couches, elbows on his jeans covered thighs, head lowered and broad shoulders slumped.

"So what are you going to do with him?" I smiled at the engaged couple, this was their first venture out of their bedroom since Jasper had popped the question however many days ago.

"I haven't decided yet..." I answered honestly. Jasper wrapped his muscular arm around Tanya's slender shoulders as the two blondes trailed their topaz eyes over Demetri.

"...Will you three keep an eye on him while I speak with Victoria and Akasha about this?"

"What, you don't want my opinion?" Tanya pouted, feigning hurt feelings.

"Sure T. What do you wanna do with him?" I smirked at the thousand year old vampire. God knows what Tanya was going to come up with. Her sarcasm was legendary after all.

"Mmm I always wanted to truss a Volturi up in a pretty frilly dress" Tanya drawled teasingly.

"And that is why I didn't instantly asked for your opinion..." I smirked as Emmett and Jasper chuckled to themselves.

"...Just watch over him, and no dresses T" I shook my head slowly as I headed out the living room, taking a right, up the polished oak flooring and into the foyer. Just outside the closed front door I could hear Heidi and Irina speaking quietly amongst themselves, I quickly started climbing the mosaic stairs just as I heard the two begin discussing Maria and Chelsea's new predicament, quite frankly I agreed with Heidi, Maria really did need to move on, and she would now that the Latina bore Chelsea's mark, the undeniable evidence that they were true mates.

Just as I hit the top of the stairs, I became aware of Jacob and Seth's deep baritones emitting from the Alpha's bedroom, the lighter tones of Alec and Jane accompanied their mates, from what I could gather the shifters were playing on Jacob's X-Box 360 while their mates ran a cometary.

I stalked down the wide hall, it would be easy for three men Jacob's massive size to stand shoulder to shoulder in the corridor, that was how wide it was. Within seconds my long legs had carried me passed Alice and Leah's, I fasted my pace when I realised exactly what my sisters were up to, it wasn't something any sister needed to hear from their siblings.

Finally I stood outside the nursery, pushing the double doors open, a wave of heat caught me square in the chest when my neon blue eyes instinctively sought out my mate. Rosalie was sat one the love seat closest to the crib, both Ashley and Lucas held in her arms. I could hear our children's soft gurgles from the doorway. Elena, Akasha, Esme and Victoria crowded around my gorgeous mate.

"So?..." Victoria was the first to break away from my the angelic thrall of my children. Joining me by the doors as I pulled them closed softly.

"What?" I asked, crossing my arms beneath my breasts and leaning back against the doors.

"What are you going to do with the 'house guest'?" Akasha drawled, flashing across the room in a single dark blue.

"I don't know. I was hoping you would" I shrugged gently, looking back at Victoria as she pursed her full lips in thought.

"I have an idea. We kill him" Akasha blurted out, perfectly serious. I rolled my eyes slowly. Demetri may be Volturi, but I'd known he was in the area for days, and he hadn't come close enough to the mansion for my protective instincts to kick in. Was spying a transgression worth punishing with death?.

"She asked me you pompous twit..." Victoria growled. I shot my mother a surprised look, I could've sworn I detected a playful not in the redheaded vampire's tone. Since when were the parental figures in my life on such good terms that they could joke with one another?.

"...As much as I...agree...with Akasha..." Victoria shivered as though it were the most distasteful thing in the world "...I suppose he hasn't actually wronged us. At least not enough for us to end his life. I would suggest giving him a choice, if he makes the wrong one then we kill him if not, we let him live"

"I _have _always said that if a Volturi guard were to switch sides then I would let them live" I nodded.

"Its worth a shot" Victoria encouraged. Akasha still looked sceptical about the situation, at least until Victoria nudged the taller women hard in the ribs with her elbow. I could feel myself adopting a bewildered expression as I switched my attention from Victoria to Akasha and back again. Had they gone into therapy?, or had a personality transplant while I wasn't looking? Shaking my head a little I hurried across the nursery, as I came closer to my mate and children, Esme and Elena moved passed me to join their life partners.

"Hey..." I dropped down into a crouch beside the love seat.

"Hi yourself" Rosalie purred in her silky voice, the fluttery sensation that bubbled up in my stomach and chest accompanied the sudden soft purrs of the twins. Tearing my gaze away from my mate's stunningly beautiful face reluctantly, I found two pairs of neon blue eyes staring back at me. Out of the two Ashley was closet to me. Reaching across Rosalie's lap, I gently stroked Lucas' little leg as I nuzzled his sister's head, her soft blonde hair tickling my delicate nose as I inhaled her freesia and jasmine aroma.

"Shouldn't these two be napping?" I gazed up at my soulmate as the twin's gurgling grew in volume.

"Tell them that, they're not listening to me right now" Rosalie smirked. Straightening quickly, I scooped Ashley out of Rosalie's arm, giving my mate some reprieve from cuddling both of our children. Cradling my baby girl against my chest, I slowly began rocking her from side to side, the loud, happy, squealing that echoed through the room assured me that Ashley wasn't gonna be sleeping any time soon.

"You're a stubborn little thing huh?..." I grinned helplessly as Ashley giggled her agreement "...Wonder where you got that from?" I shot Rosalie a playfully teasing look.

"Me!. Stubborn?!" Rosalie exclaimed mockingly.

"You forget women, I clearly remember our last trip into hell with Alice and Leah" I grumbled as Ashley began waving her little arms giddily.

"Not the shopping trip again baby, you really gotta get over that. 'Cause there is gonna be a lot more of 'em in the near future" Rosalie grinned wickedly.

"She is cruel Ashley, so very cruel" I murmured to our daughter, shivering mockingly, though I guess the idea of shopping wasn't as much of pain in my rear end anymore, in fact the last time had been rather amusing considering that when we ventured into the mall, Rose tried to eat the sales clerk. Maybe it was time to give my mate's favourite activity another shot.

"And don't forget it" Rosalie smirked sarcastically, her expression shifted into one of tenderness as she glanced down at Lucas.

"Yes boss..." I teased while Ashley let out another bout of laughter, I really don't don't know if our children could understand us or not, but I was beginning to think so.

"...Nice to know whose side you're on Princess" I grinned, Ashley's angelic face was dominated by the most adorable smile I've ever seen. My chest constricted dangerously as I looked back at my daughter, she may only be just over a month old but I already knew she was going to look alot like Rosalie when she grew up. I'm gonna have to invest in a baseball bat to beat off all her would be boyfriends or girlfriends for that matter.

"Well if it helps, I think Lucas is impartial" Rosalie teased.

"Thats my boy, all disinterested that his Mom and his sister are predominant" I arched my arched my perfectly shaped eyebrow sardonically.

"He is such a smart boy, I'm so proud of him" Rosalie laughed breezily.

"They both are. But don't get used to it, because one day Lucas is gonna realise that he needs to put his little foot down and take control" I warned. I knew full well that Ashley was definitely the more assertive out of the two and they were still so young.

"Maybe, its doubtful but maybe one day" Rosalie nodded.

"Well he is gonna have to do something or else Princess here is gonna walk all over him" I was interrupted by the sight of Lucas' little body suddenly blinking out of sight, Rosalie's arms remained exactly were they were as though she were cradling thin air, I could see her hold on our son tighten, even though he wasn't visible.

"Hiding is not an option Lucas" I suddenly grumbled, Ashley giggled to herself as Lucas became visible once more with a soft resigned sigh.

"Poor baby, he is so young and he already knows who is in charge around here." Rosalie nuzzled the top of Lucas' blonde head adoringly.

"Like I said, do not get used to it." I admonished.

"You'll have to give him lessons Bella" I snorted slightly as Victoria returned to my side, wrapping her arm around my shoulders.

"Be warned baby, appearances are deceptive" Esme was suddenly leaning over Rosalie, cooing gently to Lucas much to my son's delight.

"Are we really talking about this?" I questioned.

"Yes I do believe we are. And in my opinion, Lucas may very well have a change in personality as he grows" Akasha nodded, standing towards my left whereas Victoria lingered at my right. Huh, these two are on the same page about quite a few things apparently, and I am not going to complain. This is what I wanted, a close relationship with all my maternal figures.

"His gift would indicate otherwise though, it is defensive, not offensive" Elena commented.

"Why single it out as his gift?" I murmured to my birth mother as she crouched down close to Lucas' head.

"I was looking for the right moment to explain this..." Akasha perked up, capturing some of my attention, even Ashley fell silent, I instantly missed her little giggles.

"...While I cannot actually define for certain if the twin's share the same gift, it is very unlikely if not impossible" Akasha drawled, reaching out with her hand to stroke Ashley's little leg while Victoria simply smiled and purred lovingly down at her granddaughter.

"But how can Ashley turn invisible if it isn't her gift?" Rosalie frowned.

"Think of Fae twins like a sword and shield. One has defensive abilities like Lucas, which they can protect, not themselves, against attackers and other threats but also their twin. The other twin, possesses offensive qualities, this is generally the more assertive twin, like Ashley..." Akasha smiled when Ashley suddenly cooed gently in agreement.

"...And yes, they can understand every word you say" Akasha confirmed my suspicions.

"So when will Ashley discover her gift?" I glanced down at my little girl, she stared back at me with intelligent eyes. I smiled at her, I new that my children were the most precious things in the world but now they seemed infinitely more important.

"And what will her gift be?" Rosalie asked.

"It is hereditary in our family." Elena murmured.

"So she is gonna be setting fire to everything in sight" I drawled.

"Ashley already understands how to use her power, it is instinctive, the only reason you do not is because when I placed mental blockers within your conscious mind to make you appear human with human traits and whatnot, you lost your carnal instincts..." Akasha sighed.

"...Of course she will need training to control it when she is older"

"Thanks for the disadvantage" I grumbled slowly. On some level I was annoyed that I hadn't been given the liberty of knowledge about myself and my heritage, but when I think about how I spent my human years, I couldn't really complain, I met Rosalie when I was under the illusion of being human.

"Yes numbnuts, we could already be in Volterra by now if you had just..." Victoria suddenly fell quiet.

"...Has she still got these mental shields?" I glanced up at Akasha suddenly. I didn't like the thought of having something inside of me that I couldn't control much less understand, but if my biological mother removed them, would the instinctive knowledge of how to use my elemental gift simply occur to me?. My arms tightened around Ashley as my thoughts ran wild.

"It is possible I suppose. But I would have to look and it is a very invasive process..." Akasha pursed her lips.

"...But I suppose the advantages cannot be overlooked. You would instinctively know your trigger and how to manipulate it. We haven't even achieved the former yet" She continued with a sigh.

"Then what are we waiting for?" I suddenly perked up.

"The risks!" Rosalie interrupted loudly.

"Like I mentioned with Ashley. You would have to be able to exert a great deal of self-control. Using the gift is very...addictive. The feel of invincibility is so very intoxicating, it is how the first of us went insane and went on destructive rampages for years at a time" Akasha murmured gravely.

"So we either sit tight and hope I learn the ins and outs of my gift before the _Sicarri _decide to spring a little surprise party on us or risk my sanity. Great options" I drawled sarcastically.

"Bella you are already mated, the elders insanity was only cured once we found our mates, there is a good chance you will remain perfectly rational" Akasha mused.

"But there is a chance we will lose her, yes?" Rosalie snapped with a growl.

"A minuscule chance." Akasha nodded.

"But think about all we have to gain. Peace and lasting security for the entire family after we take care of Aro..." I persisted, Rosalie looked less than convinced.

"...Vengeance for Dana" Victoria added.

"Too dangerous. Besides when was the last time we were faced with a real threat. I don't think one Volturi guard counts" Rosalie growled, her eyes darkening.

"Before Elena and I came here, my vision was that Alexia came here to the mansion." Akasha suddenly blurted out. My head snapped to the side, disbelief shone in my eyes.

"You never said that" I snarled. In my arms Ashley gurgled gently as though offering her own defence of her biological grandmother. I didn't want to hear it. We were all in danger, just sitting here in the mansion. My entire family, their lives were on the line.

"And I wasn't gong to. You needed to keep a clear head during training. Training that you won't need if my shields are in fact still in place" Akasha said gently, not apologetically at all.

"And if they aren't you just ruined my cool" I accused with an angry growl, Ashley and Lucas suddenly whimpered gently. I calmed slightly, if only to sooth my children.

"Do you really think I'm that idiotic Bella?. My blocks have to be in place still, it would explain our lack of progress in training" Akasha snapped, her light exotic accent deepening.

"Well you better hope they are, because if you think I'm gonna be able to concentrate on anything else you got another thing coming"

**Maria's POV.**

I furiously rubbed at the mark on the crook of my slender neck, _Chelsea's mark, _my head screamed it's rebellion of what the mark meant in the same instant waves of heat rippled over my flesh. I growled deep in my throat, finally giving up on 'coaxing' the damned thing to disappear. I drew my knees up to my chest on the floor of my bedroom and resting my arms on top. Trying to ignore the throbbing in my neck, it was undeniable like the strange sensation in my chest.

I knew what it meant, but it wasn't possible. I've already been mated, unless Rodrigo had lied to me.

_No._

I couldn't believe that. He had been my mate, my love. But I never felt such a connection with him that I did with Chelsea. Pain swirled at the core of my being, the distance between us, meagre though it was, was too much. But it didn't make any sense. Chelsea wasn't my mate, she couldn't be, no matter how much my body said otherwise. It was lust. I refused to think of it as anything else.

"Maria?..." Chelsea's light Greek accent beckoned me through the thin barrier of the solid oak door. I shivered slowly, mentally attempting to put distance between my mind and my body's reaction to the ancient vampire, I wanted her here, with me, against me, over me, inside me.

"...You are going to have to come out eventually..." I still couldn't believe she had listened when I had told her to stay away from me. Granted she was just outside the door. She was behaving like a mate, giving me what I had claimed to want. How fast could she break down the door and pull me into her arms?.

"...Dammit it all to Hades. Would you at least answer me?!" I bit my lip, capturing the words, the pleas, on the tip of my tongue and stubbornly holding them hostage. Her loud, frustrated, growl echoed through the thick door, caressing my flesh with invisible hands until I felt the first blossoms of desire begin to bloom in the pit of my stomach. Why was I reacting to her like this?, like she was my mate?. She wasn't. Was she?.

"Go away Chelsea" I whispered. My inner animal snarled in protest against the mere notion, disgusted that I had the nerve to so much as utter the words.

"Let me in" Chelsea insisted. I rested my head against the hard wall behind me, fighting against the growing need to feel her against me. I was so cold, and she was the only person that would ever warm me. Fuck, did this mean what I think it does?. But how could Rodrigo have lied to me like that?, I had loved him, and he responded by ensuring I would never look for my real mate. _Cabrón _was lucky he was already dead.

"Oh fuck, how could I..."_ Not realise who and what Chelsea was to me. _I was already on my bare feet bolting over to the door, I could feel _my mate _pacing furiously on the other side, I could hear Chelsea muttering to herself in her native tongue. Almost yanking the door off it's gold hinges, I came face to face with my beautiful soulmate.

"Are you done with the dramatics now?, cause I would really rather be cuddling" Chelsea drawled with a smile. I threw my arms around the shorter vampire's neck and pulled her in for tender kiss, her lithe arms were instantly encircling my slender waist tightly.

"I have something else in mind" I whispered heatedly against her soft, perfect, lips. My stupidity has already stolen too much time from us, I was not wasting another second.

"Oh thank the Gods on Mount Olympus" I laughed huskily as I pulled her into my bedroom with only one thing on my mind. Making up for lost time with my sinfully gorgeous mate.

**Alexia's POV.**

"How much longer Lyss?" I demanded as I sauntered into the cockpit, Lyssandra was sat in front of all the numerous controls needed to manoeuvre our private jet, ahead of us out the thick glass shield, there was nothing but pristine blue and the odd curious bird.

"We're making good time, if we were flying via airline we wouldn't even be this far yet" Lyssandra purred, letting her dark eyes trail off the controls.

"That doesn't answer my question" I growled impatiently.

"A couple more hours provided that we don't have to refuel until the return trip" Lyssandra drawled in reply.

"Good" I felt compelled to murmur with a cold smirk.

**Bella's POV.**

"Where do you want me?" I spread my arms in question.

"Just sit on the edge of your bed" Akasha directed. I sighed as I moved to follow my biological mother's instruction. Akasha, the long-limbed pain in the neck, managed to crouch in front of me yet still manage to be more or less at eye-level.

"Now what?" I grumbled. As much as I wanted this whole thing over and done with, just to see what would happen, I really wanted to be with Rosalie, it went beyond a simple urge. I felt like if I stopped thinking about the analytical process Akasha was about to preform even for a second, I'd be back at my mate's side faster than a the vampire eye could see without even thinking about it.

"Don't move, and try not to think too much" Akasha murmured, she sounded as though she were in a trance.

"Is this going to hurt?" I asked as I locked my muscles, determined to remain still as a corpse if it made things go more swiftly.

"Yes. But it will be far more excruciating if you try to keep information from me..." Akasha replied in that alarmingly distant voice.

"...I'm going to be privy to more or less your entire childhood, your memories, your thoughts at the time, your emotions."

"How does that help?"

"I have to search for my mental shields and remove any that are still in place. Most ceased to exist when you, how shall we say?,were _with _Rosalie for the first time"

"Wow one of the oldest beings on the planet and you can't say 'sex'" I teased. I was nervous about being so open with the mother I only just met. How she react when she found how much I had loved the humans that raised me as their own?. Would she flip out?. Worse?.

"Excuse me if I don't want to think about you and Rosalie having sex. We mothers do like to think of our children as being ignorant about such things and vice versa..." Akasha smirked.

"...I'm ready. Are you?"

"Stay still and don't think too much. Right?" I asked.

"Right. And it is natural to feel like you're being strangled" Akasha grimaced.

"Yay" I drawled sarcastically, resting my hands on my toned thighs and bracing myself, for what, I didn't know. I guess I was going to be finding out though.

I knew exactly when Akasha began the process, I could feel what felt like a vice suddenly gripping my temples and squeezing. Like the beginning of a vicious headache. Sighing harshly and trying to wince, I stared back at Akasha. Her neon blue eyes were empty of anything remotely recognisable as emotion, the hue had darkened somewhat as well.

Abruptly, what felt like an icepick, was driven into my head with no warnings at all. Before my eyes, it was like I'd just had my picture taken and the photographer had left the flash on. I closed my eyes against the harsh white light. Gritting my teeth tightly, as the newest feature of my torture gripped me. A streak of icy cold sensation hit me square in the chest, like I'd just fallen into a frozen lake, I was shivering on the edge of my and Rosalie's bed. For what felt like hours I steadily grew more and more uncomfortable, each second was so drawn out, each minute prolonged. The furious pounding in my head was so agonising that I wanted to curl up into a ball and scream, it was that fucking painful.

Suddenly it all mercifully melted away until I at last felt normal again. But whatever Akasha was doing to me, didn't stop there. It went on and on, I could feel adrenaline pumping through my veins, the urge to fight or hunt so very prominent. I could feel my usually ice cold body begin to heat dangerously quick, like I'd just climbed out of the frozen lake and been shoved into a sauna.

It was like a fog had just been lifted off my cognition. I could feel my gift. Like a living flame inside me. I had caught a glimpse of it once with Rosalie. But now it was there, constant, functional, omnipotent. I could easily see how the elder Fae had fallen victim to the compelling nature of their gifts. It would be effortless to destroy everything and everyone I came into contact with. With a mere thought or single movement. But I had an anchor. Three of them. Against them, my all consuming gift didn't stand a chance.

Akasha's consciousness remained within my mind, I could feel her lingering and assessing me. Slightly annoyed, I didn't even think about what I was doing, I didn't need to, instinct guided my hand until I was roughly pushing my biological mother's consciousness out of my own. I reached out with my hands on her shoulders to steady her before her physical form could fall back onto the bedroom floor as a result.

"The fuck was that?" I exclaimed in shock.

**Caius's POV.**

"Where is Alexia?" I demanded of Aro as I burst into the throne room with Marcus and Sulpicia flanking me.

"What do you mean?, I told her to stay in her rooms with Corin or otherwise inform me of her departures" Aro waved his hand dismissively. I froze, Aro was an imbecile, Alexia would never keep him in the loop of her plans. In fact, my brother was lucky the _Prima_ of the _Sicarri _hadn't already ripped him to shreds. But if Alexia wasn't here, in the Volturi compound, then there is only one place on the entire planet she would go.

"Fuck..." I cursed loudly as realisation dawned on me as unpleasantly as a starving bear looming over a waking human.

**Alexia's POV.**

"...Nice ride" Jax commented as all six of us drew near to pristine black all-terrain SUV. I rolled my coal dark eyes before I reached into the back pocket of my leather pants for the car keys.

"Why can't we just run?, it would be a lot faster" Glancing over to my 'secret weapon', her tall dark headed mate was looking intently at me. I smirked at the other _Sicarri._

"Lyssandra, explain to Soren why we cannot run the Fae's mansion" I instructed as I unlocked the car, Peyral immediately and silently climbed into the back seat waiting for all of us.

"How else are we going to get the Fae back to the plane hanger?" Lyssandra drawled as she gracefully climbed into the passenger side.

"Exactly..." I said in a condescending tone.

"...Jax meet us on the outskirts of the mansion..." My bulky nest-mate instantly took off at a run, disappearing from sight while I reached for the driver's side door.

"...Coming?" I arched my perfectly shaped platinum blonde eyebrow quizzically at Soren and her slightly shorter mate. I slipped the keys into the ignition while the other two climbed into the back seat with Peyral.

"How long is the drive?" Lyssandra purred. I smirked at my future sister in-law.

"With my driving...I give it an hour" My smirk grew wider at her malicious laugh.

**Bella's POV.**

"...What now?" I groaned as a loud scream echoed through the mansion, I knew it belonged to one of the twins, it was the only reason I flashed out of bed in time with Rosalie and reached for my jeans. After Akasha and left my bedroom, I'd only had a second or two before my mate had appeared, I grinned widely with satisfaction, our afternoon had been so _very _gratifying and strenuous.

"Now we have to go shopping..." I glanced over at Rosalie, laughing when I found my mate holding up a torn piece of material I distantly recognised as her shirt. She'd already pulled her light grey slacks on.

"So long as I can keep tearing your clothes off..." I grinned, looking for my own shirt.

"Do I have a choice in that matter?" Rosalie smirked.

"Can't say you do..." I answered pulling my dark t-shirt over my head, Rosalie stalked over towards our wardrobe, reappearing wearing a long sleeved cashmere cardigan over a white halter neck shirt.

"...Come on" I didn't have a chance to let my eyes linger on my mate's now fully clothed body before another shriek squeal was battering down on our door. I jerked the door open, letting Rosalie pass into the hall before I followed, closing the door behind me. Hurrying down the hall to the nursery, I felt the sensitive hairs at the nape of my neck begin to tingle slightly, shrugging off the strange foreboding feeling. I burst into the twin's room just behind Rosalie. Esme was crooning to a clearly distressed Lucas, his small cries echoed loudly. Oddly enough though, Ashley seemed as calm as you like, her little hands playing with the fiery ends of Victoria's flame red hair.

"Whats wrong?" I frowned in confusion. Normally the twins were so quiet, preferring to just gurgle amongst themselves, and whenever they did cry for whatever reason, that too, was done together.

"I haven't got the faintest idea" Esme murmured as she carefully handed Lucas over to Rosalie. Keeping an eye on Ashley, I slipped my arms around my waist's slender waist, leaning over her shoulder to murmur soothingly to our son. Lucas' didn't calm down, not even a little bit, he grew increasingly more agitated, his eyes darkened.

"Is he hungry?" Victoria asked.

"They aren't due a feed for another hour or so" Rosalie replied softly, cradling Lucas against her chest, his cries grew louder. The strange tingling sensation tickled the back of my neck again, sending shivers down my spine, it felt like I had a bunch of ants crawling all over me. Despite my need to feel my mate and our upset son in my arms I couldn't help but reach behind me with one hand to rub at my neck.

"Shh..." I frowned over at Akasha, her expression was deadly serious.

"What is it?" I asked, dropping my hand from my neck.

"Just be quiet, all of you" Even Lucas fell silent after Akasha's sharp demand left her lips.

"_Bella"_

I froze like a tiny animal that had just caught a glimpse of an eagle. That sing-song voice drawing my name out into two syllables, with a distinctively feminine tone, made me pull Rosalie tight against my chest. Lucas and Ashley both suddenly disappeared from sight. A loud growl erupted from deep in Akasha's chest.

"**Who the fuck is that?" **I caught Victoria mouthing to Akasha, my biological mothers were clinging to each other.

"_Bella"_

The voice was coming from outside, shifting forward so that my mate was shielded firmly behind my body, I glanced out the floor to ceiling window, out into the snow covered gardens. The sun was setting in the distance, disappearing behind the wealth of white blanketed trees. Several metres in front of the forest, a tall women dressed completely in black stood proudly with her hands resting on her hips. I snarled at the sudden grip on my arm, I restrained myself from attacking when I found Akasha standing next to me.

"Alexia?" I bit out.

"Thats her" Akasha nodded.

"Right" I nodded myself, turning around I found Rosalie frozen to the spot, dark eyes wild with fear and maternal instinct. Helpless rage bubbled up in my chest, I would kill anything that threatened my mate and children or die trying.

"_Come outside, or would you like me to come in?"_

Alexia had the same type of light accent that Akasha did. It made sense. They were the same age.

"Don't be stupid Bella" Victoria advised, she held Ashley in her arms, like Rosalie held Lucas, but I couldn't see my daughter or my son.

"Get everyone inside the nursery" I turned to instruct Akasha.

"You step outside this mansion and I can't help you" My biological mother murmured gravely.

"_Tick tock"_

"Better I go out there than her coming in here" I whispered.

"_I'm waiting"_

"Bella. Don't" Rosalie shook her head.

"_Fine. Have it your way" _

A loud male scream erupted from downstairs. I shivered at the note of pure terror I could hear before it was suddenly cut short. Fuck I had left Tanya, Jasper and Emmett downstairs.

"I have to..." I started to stalk forward, lingering close to Rosalie's side to press a tender kiss to her porcelain pale cheek, blindly I stroked Lucas' head lovingly. I wouldn't tell them I loved them, they knew it, that would just add a note of finality to the situation. And I was _not _doing that. I was coming home to them.

"...I'll be back soon enough" I promised.

"You better...or I'll kick your sorry ass" Rosalie threatened, I couldn't bring myself to laugh, the sight of her eyes shining brightly with tears that literally couldn't fall was like a hand crushing my heart.

"_One, two, the Sicarri are coming for you"_

I growled low in my throat. I forced a confident smile for Rosalie before I hurried over to Victoria, crouching down to blindly find Ashley's forehead with my lips.

"You are a bloody stupid child" Victoria snarled.

"You can send me to my room later" I teased.

"_Three, Four, you better lock your door"_

If I had a heartbeat it would be pounding in my chest as forced myself to walk away from them. Esme and Elena hurried after me, their concerned expressions only encouraged the butterflies in my stomach, I didn't wait for them to whisper unneeded words, this wasn't goodbye, I _would_ kill Alexia.

"Just get everyone in the nursery" I snapped as I jogged down the stairs.

"_Five, Six, grab a crucifix"_

I jogged into the living room, not even taking a single moment to brace myself for what I was about to see. I could've cried in relief when I could Tanya, Jasper and Emmett all in one piece, the three were staring at the doorway I was standing in. Eyes dark, growls falling from their lips. They looked like traumatised wolves. Running on instinct and adrenaline.

"Get into the twin's room..." I growled at them.

"_Seven, eight, gonna stay up late"_

"...Now" I snarled violently, waiting for them to race passed me up the stairs. I followed after them at a slow walk towards the foyer and the front door. Shaking my head, I jerked the door open.

"_Nine, ten, never sleep again"_

I stepped out into the bitter winter wind of Alaska, the starless black sky overhead, my bare feet sank into the thing layer of snow covering the steps leading up to the mansion's entrance, I hadn't even thought about putting shoes on when I'd run into the twin's room. Good thing I was immortal because I probably would've already frozen to death if I wasn't. Stalking further out into the garden, approaching the forest. I met Alexia on the edge of the forest.

"Don't you just love Freddy Kruger?" Alexia smirked a little. Someone so beautiful shouldn't be able to look so cruel.

"I love how he always ended up getting his ass kicked" I retorted swiftly.

"Freddy and I don't really have that in common, though we do enjoy killing little children, my speciality is Fae children" Alexia's smirk grew wider.

"Where is Demetri?" I asked, recalling his absence in the living room when I'd ushered the rest of my family up into the nursery.

"Over there..." Alexia extended her hand over to the right, following her gesture, all I could see was more snow consumed foliage under the dark blanket of night.

"...Wait for it" I tensed, just as the unmistakable scent of fire suddenly assaulted my nostrils, a small tendril of smoke began wafting up to the unseeing sky. I recoiled softly, knowing that Demetri was dead. I turned on Alexia with a growl.

"You are either really arrogant or really fucking stupid" I taunted. Whether she had intended to do so or not, Alexia had just revealed the presence of other _Sicarri _in the area. I just hope Rosalie and the rest of my family weren't suddenly ambushed.

"I had originally planned on subtlety, killing each vampire in that house swiftly and discreetly, until I got to you, but then as you rightly guessed, my arrogance took over..." Alexia shrugged dismissively.

"...You're a sitting duck, and this way, I get to hear Akasha's screams when she realises she has lost you, just like poor Dana"

"You didn't kill my sister" Why did I get a feeling that fact irked Alexia to no end?.

"Correct. I wasn't even close enough to witness her disappearance. Shame that..." Alexia sighed regretfully.

"...Your mate has such a pretty voice, I wonder what her screams sound like?..." I was running before I even knew it, launching myself at her and reaching for her throat. The hard knock to my stomach had me crashing to the floor, it felt like a wreaking ball had been shoved into my midsection, I shook my head to clear it of the haze suddenly encouraging the world to dance before me.

"...I hear Dana screamed so loudly even the parasites you call humans thought they _might _of heard something" Alexia mused as I regained my footing, my midriff throbbed painfully with the movement, but I refused to shield my weakness with my hand. Why hadn't she continued her attack, it made no sense.

"Sounds like you missed out on something" I provoked.

"I never begrudge my nest-mates the right to hunt, but someone that sweet should be relished, I would've broken her spirit before I actually killed her..." Alexia smirked, I clenched my jaw tightly. I hadn't met my sister, I couldn't form a kind of emotional bond with her, but I would be damned if I would let this sadistic bitch mar the mental image I had of Dana, garnered from Akasha and Elena.

"...Enough talk. Lets see what your mummy has been teaching you shall we?, let us hope that it is more than Dana's lacking training..."

I found myself being flung through the air before I even saw her move, the feeling of her cold hand encircling my throat added momentum to my fall. If I had to guess, the crippling pain that assaulted me when my back met the hard ground, was like being thrown off the empire state building. I grunted gently, my breath fled my lungs as Alexia's unforgiving fist connected with my flat stomach, I was sure the punch had left an incurvation of some sort in my granite hard skin.

"...Wow even your sister must of put up more of a fight than this..." Alexia hissed, pulling her fist back to punch me again. I reached up to claw at her eyes, she snarled angrily turning her face away, ignoring the fear shooting up my spine from her growls. I utilised her loosening hold to roll away from her. Before I moved, I could've sworn I heard her mutter; 'just as I thought'.

"...We're not running back to mummy just yet are we?" Alexia drawled. I closed my eyes, internally searching for the constant flame burning at my core, just as strong as my love for Rosalie and the twins. I had to use my gift, it was the only advantage I had.

"Not quite" I growled, feeling my gift erupted forth, my forearms were set ablaze with the most eerie shade of blue I've ever seen in the same instant my arms felt like they'd just been doused in icy cold water. I flung my arm out watching was a fire shot out from my right hand, the only light to be seen in the darkness surrounding us.

"Dammit..." Alexia cursed, just when I thought I had her, just when I expected her to be engulfed in the wave of roaring blue flames I'd cast towards her, Alexia lifted one elegant palm, and as thought it had never been, the flares of my attack faded into nothingness. Any optimism I'd felt before followed after my ineffective defence.

"...Does Akasha really think I haven't learned how to ward myself against Fae taint over the years?!..." Alexia smirked.

"Do you ever stop talking?" I snapped, desperately grasping at straws, how was I going to kill her, or at least drive her away long enough to get my family to safety. Would I even be able to?, the evidence of _Sicarri _stealth and proficiency was staring me in the face, Alexia and whoever was waiting out in the forest with Demetri's burnt remains had crept towards the mansion without my even knowing, something that no one and nothing had been able to manage since my transition between vampire and Fae.

"Why am I even wasting my time with you?, I assume the lovely Rosalie will show herself to be a more worthy opponent than you have?" Alexia suddenly disappeared the wind shifted as she started flashing passed me towards the mansion, my instinctive need to protect my mate flared once again, allowing me to move just as swiftly as Alexia. In time to catch her around the waist, bunching my shoulder muscles, I used every ounce of strength I could muster to haul her in the other direction. I dropped into a defensive crouch as her body went sailing through the cold air, I had underestimated my abilities, I noted, as Alexia went crashing through the trees and out into the snow covered forest. In the distance I could hear the thunderous crash of an ancient tree falling to the ground.

Deathly silence greeted me as I waited and waited under the night sky, I expected her to come charging back out, ready to fight or her companions to suddenly leap to her defence. Neither happened. At first I thought about returning to the mansion but then I reasoned that _Sicarri_ were still out there. It would be foolish to walk away or attempt a retreat. I cursed myself for a fool, before I stalked cautiously into the forest after Alexia, I didn't look over my shoulder, I could feel the fearful eyes of my mate on my back. One look at Rosalie I would be back at her side in an instant, but I couldn't do that while I knew Alexia was close. After breaking out into a run, several kilometres into the forest I found Alexia standing on the fallen tree she'd slammed into, the collision of her body with the ligneous plant had ripped the ancient roots cleanly free of the earth that had been home to them for so long, disrupting the soil and mixing the fresh dirt in with the snow.

"Not bad, not bad at all..." Alexia complimented as she went about brushing off the pieces of bark covering her, she seemed completely disinterested in me as she examined her French style of plait, her long hair was almost the same shade as my mothers, but whereas Akasha's made me think of freshly fallen snow, Alexia's made me think of moonlight.

"...If a little unrefined..." Alexia dropped down off the massive tree trunk, easily forming a six foot tall ridge, despite that fact, it look as though she'd just stepped off a side walk, nothing more. I tensed slowly, expecting her to attack.

"...Your technique would've been perfect if your mother wasn't such a traitorous bitch" Alexia spat. For the first time that night, I got a glimpse of something other than sadistic amusement and bloodlust out of her. Alexia looked truly remorseful over whatever past she shared with my mother.

"What do you mean?" I couldn't believe I was listening to her, it was most likely a ploy, but as long as she was talking I could try to come up with one of my own.

"Ah she spoon fed you that, 'I'm so innocent, the rift between _Sicarri _and Fae has nothing to do with me' bullshit" Alexia leaned back against the tree behind her, looking thoroughly relaxed, like we we two friends just chatting in the woods. I didn't feel the slightest bit at ease.

"You gonna tell me something different?" I arched an eyebrow quizzically.

"I will tell you that if you had been born to Akasha and the women she vowed to mate with before that fucking human got in the way. I would've been your _Custodia__. _I would've protected you with my life, you, your twins, your mate, I would've trained you from day one to have full use of your power. And now I have to hurt what I would've loved as my own, all because of Elena and Akasha..." Alexia sighed. I almost believed her, almost.

"You really expect me to believe that?" I scoffed, probably not the smartest thing to do given the glare being shot at me.

"You're a Fae Bella, you wouldn't know the truth if it bit you in the ass before shoving itself down your throat" Alexia hissed. In the moonlight, gleaming between her full lips, I caught a glimpse of..._incisors_._.._son of a bitch, it isn't the vampires that have fangs, its_ Sicarri._

"So if you're right, what changed?, why are you prepared to kill us?" I snapped.

"Ancient bonds..." Alexia smirked at my confused expression "...We don't mate like everyone else. Vampires, Fae, Shifters and all the rest are crippled if they find their mate only to lose them. We're driven by something else entirely, and unfortunately, what spurns me on is the idea of a world without your kind"

"Caius..." I muttered low, so she wouldn't hear me, or so I thought.

"He commissioned us to track down and kill Fae, it is what won him the civil war between Fae and vampires, that hidden ace in his pocket. Of course, I take particular pleasure in slaughtering every Fae I get my hands on" Alexia grinned, she looked truly elated and at ease. Like a young child just gifted with a puppy or kitten.

"Then why haven't you tried to kill me yet?" I asked, genuinely perplexed by her revelations and actions. Was she the monster Akasha had painted her as? Or was my biological mother the bad guy in all this?. If so what the hell was I going to do.

"Because while I've been distracting you out here, my hunters have moved into your mansion and they are steadily making their way towards the kiddies room. No, wait that is a lie, they're already in the nursery..." Alexia drawled with a smirk. I whirled on my heel and instantly took off at a run, I hadn't even made it a couple of feet before Alexia barrelled into me from behind.

"...Now just because I had an ulterior motive, don't think what I told you wasn't the truth..." Alexia said as she forcibly turned me over onto my back, she straddled me hips catching my wrists when I tried punching her, pinning my hands down to her ground on either side of my head.

"...This is Akasha's fault, everything fucking thing I have done since that Gods forsaken day is to hurt her..." Alexia snarled, her silky smooth voice oozed with acidic resentment, she transferred one of my wrists to one of her hands, allowing her to reach between us. I lifted my head, in time to catch her pulling something out of a sheath at her thigh. My eyes widened when I caught sight of the seven inch, double edged knife, shining that abnormal purple colour, the same thing that had restrained Irina and Victoria down in Mexico.

"...Say 'hi' to your sister for me" Alexia raised her hand and, quick as a viper striking, shoved the knife into the side of my neck, everything ceased to exist, the last thing I saw was Rosalie, Ashley and Lucas before everything faded into nothing.

**Rosalie's POV.**

"Does someone wanna tell us where the kids are, we bought them a present..." I growled low in my throat at the petite redhead, casually pacing around the nursery, brandishing a purple blade, Victoria had recognised as Peyral ore, the only thing strong enough to contain, or kill, a super natural being.

"...What was that momma Fae?" The female _Sicarri _purred in my direction, I wanted to launch myself across the room, I wanted to tear her throat our with my own damn hands, but that would mean leaving the twins, still hidden from plain sight, in the crib beside me. They hadn't made a single sound since the _Sicarri _had burst into the house, as time had gone on, even their scents had become muted. If my maternal instinct hadn't been running high, I wouldn't have been able to tell where they were.

"Leave her the fuck alone Lyssandra" Akasha snarled aggressively, Bella's biological mother stood close to my side.

"Hell its your choice Rosalie, but believe me when I say you are going to like me a lot more than you are going to like the _Prima_, so start talking" The redhead, _Lyssandra, _completely ignored Akasha, instead focusing on me. The large nursery was overly crowded, all of our family were standing between the crib and the three _Sicarri, _restrained growls falling from my vampire siblings, the shifters were shaking slowly, signalling that they were close to changing.

"Ain't that the truth..." The air didn't even shift as a tall women with pale blonde hair tied back in a French plat and eyes colder and darker than onyx seemed to appear out of no where.

"...Pity about your baby girl Kasha" Alexia purred. I swallowed hard, trying not to fall apart, where was Bella?. What the fuck did Alexia mean?. Oh god what had happened to my mate.

"What the fuck have you done, you bitch?" Akasha snarled.

"You move one fraction of an inch I will tear your head off, same goes for you lovely Rosalie" Alexia warned, her soulless eyes trained on Akasha.

"Where are those pesky twins?" Alexia turned to Lyssandra, the younger male _Sicarri _stood near the window while the brick wall of the older crudely edged _Sicarri _lingered by the door.

"I would like to know the same thing" Lyssandra drawled.

"Silly, silly vampires. Do you have any idea how ridiculous you look, you stand no chance against us, so I presume you call want to die. Yes?" Alexia drawled.

"They have nothing to do with this Lexi" Akasha snapped.

"You're right old friend. I will let them live if you hand over the twins. Sound fair?" Alexia arched her platinum blonde eyebrow questioningly.

"You are fucking insane if you think you are coming within a foot of them" I snarled.

"Bella took the same confident tone with me, it just shows how inferior you really are. You should know you are beaten, so lose with dignity. Bella did" Alexia smirked.

"What?" Fear exploded within my chest, panic flooded my veins, worry consumed my thoughts.

"Oops. Did I forget to mention?. Bella is dead" With those words my world ended.

**Bella's POV.**

I knew exactly who the loud shriek of misery and heartbreak belonged the moment I came awake to catch it echoing through the forest. _Rosalie._

"I wouldn't move too quickly if I were you..." I tried forcing myself into a defensive crouch the second my eyes landed a tall women, almost as tall as Alexia, with a long waist length mane of jet black hair tied back from her face in a high ponytail.

"...Alexia interposed you with, what you call it, a sedative?..." The women marched across the forest toward me, only then did I realise I was propped up against the fallen tree.

"...Don't worry you'll get the remedy as soon as my mate returns"

I couldn't wait that long, Alexia had to be at the mansion. I needed to get back. Another wail rang out through the forest, I couldn't breath knowing that something was causing my mate distress. Fuck what if Alexia had one of the twins or...

"She isn't going to hurt your children nor your mate..." The women drawled kneeling on the ground close to me. For the first time I noticed her light accent was exactly like Akasha's and Alexia's. I tried moving away, standing up, blinking or something, but my body refused to obey me. What hadn't Alexia just killed me?.

"...She needs you alive" The fuck?!, this women could read minds?.

"Yes I can. I realise this is probably invasive, but it is the only way to calm and reassure you that you are safe" To be fair, seeing as my vocal chords were frozen I was actually grateful for her talent. But who he hell was she and why was she helping me?.

"I'm Soren of the _Sicarri". _And once again I must impose on you the fact that my _Prima _doesn't wish you dead" Soren murmured. I would've flinched if I could when she lifted her hand to my throbbing neck, where Alexia had stabbed me however long ago.

_Are my family really safe?._

"The vampires and shifters are not, the _Prima_ will not hesitate to kill them if they get in her way, but Rosalie and your twins will be fine" Soren's cool hand pressed against my neck, the dull throbbing ceased instantly. So what, she had healing abilities as well?.

"Your wound is healing on its own, which isn't a good thing, the antidote has to be administered via the same wound it was injected..." Soren said with a straight face.

"...But don't worry my mate is close"

As if summoned by Soren's words a tall women, just an inch or so shorter than Soren, burst into the clearing. Shock was an icy hand around my heart as I stared back at the newcomer, she had a wealth of platinum blonde hair, the same shade as snow, left to frame her aristocratic features granting her a classical beauty that didn't need the help of cosmetics, the fall of her pale tresses ended at her backside. I felt that I had seen her before or that I knew her from place. As she came closer the scent of Freesia and Jasmine grew heavier. The hand around my heart grew tighter.

"Hello little sister" _Dana _greeted with a warm smile as she dropped into a crouch beside me._Fuck me running, _this just got complicated, but the fact that my sister was _alive _could wait, I needed to get back to Rosalie.

**Esme****'s POV.**

"Shh..." I crooned gently Rosalie, I held the whimpering blonde, as best I could in my arms, my daughter had crumbled to the floor, helpless to keep herself upright after Alexia's revelation. All of our family effective hid us from _Sicarri _view. I rested my head on top of Rosalie's, her dry sobs ripped at my wounded heart. I couldn't believe this. Bella could not be dead, she was too...

"So you see, there is no point resisting me any further, unless some of you simply want to die anyway?..." I wanted to scratch the bitch's eyes out. Behind me, Victoria crouched close to me, her own small sounds of suffering made me reach behind me with one arm, the other I continued to hold Rosalie close to me. I didn't have to wait a second before my mate was plastered to me back, her arms wrapped around both me and Rosalie, small whimpers vibrating in her chest.

"...Where are the twins?" Alexia hissed. I tilted my head, alternating between nuzzling Rosalie and Victoria, my need to comfort them gave me some focus, I couldn't bring myself to contemplate Bella's loss. It was too painful. She had been like a daughter to me for so long, and now she was gone.

"Go to hell you fucking bitch" Jacob's loud voice was little more than a rumbling snarl as he shifted into a massive russet wolf, he barely even fit in the nursery.

"Jake don't!" Jane's fearful scream rang through the room. The thunderous sound of waves crashing against a cliff face during a violent storm had nothing on the sickening crunch that echoed through the nursery. I couldn't see passed the bodies of my family, crowded in protectively.

"I'm getting really tried of this. The next one dies..." Alexia snarled. A truly ferocious sound.

"...Now where are those fucking twins!"

I glanced towards the crib when a chill slithered up my spine. Ashley was visible, Rosalie lurched upright suddenly, attempting to shield her daughter with her own body but it was too late, Alexia had already flashed passed the wall of muscle that my family formed and snatched Ashley out of the crib without anyone being able to stop her or even sense her. Rosalie's growl was as frightened as it was enraged.

"...How cute..." Alexia purred. I pulled myself and my mate up to our feet, wrapping my arms around Victoria, my mate's eyes swirled with pain. Alice stood in front of me, her black eyes shining brightly, over the Pixie's shoulder I could see Alexia. Ashley held in the _Sicarri's _arms, Alexia was just staring down at the small children, she seemed transfixed with something, the embodiment of pure wonderment. Abruptly Ashley giggled, if I wasn't witnessing it I wouldn't have believed it, Alexia smiled, _smiled, _as though she hadn't just deprived the angelic child in her arms of a mother.

Suddenly the door burst open, sending the muscular _Sicarri _standing in front of it stumbling forward, until he nearly crashed into the younger male standing by the window.

"Get your fucking hands off my daughter!" I heaved a sigh of relief when Bella's angry voice greeted my ears.

"Done..." Alexia suddenly disappeared with all her _Sicarri _in tow, my unbeating heart lurched into my throat, until I heard a loud scream behind me. Ashley was safe in her crib with a newly visible Lucas. But why had Alexia suddenly vanished and why had she left Ashley, there was nothing we could've done to stop her.

**Alexia's POV.**

"_What is it?" _

Lyssandra's voice was shrill over the telepathic connection provided by the _Procul _medallion around my neck. As all four of us ran towards Soren and Dana's location.

"_The Fae__ discovered her gift, we may as well wait for them to come to us in Volterra" _

I explained rapidly, none of my hunters would dare to question me, they wouldn't even know why I was leaving the older twin. The _Procul _only allowed the others to sense and hear what I wanted them to, and I did not want them knowing about this, what I felt when I held that young child in my arms. I had known I would have to bide my time before capturing Bella, but I had originally intended to take the twins as to prompt a quick arrival of angry Fae parents ready to walk into any trap I set. fuck this had taken a turn for the worst faster than I could have predicted. Reaching out with the _Procul _I found Dana's consciousness, the Fae princess was several kilometres in front of us.

"_Did she agree?" _

I drawled across the telepathic line. Dana was quick to respond;

"_Yes"_

**TBC. . .**


	39. Chapter 39

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything associated with the movies or the books the only things I do take credit for are any mistakes ;p

**AN: I am so incredibly sorry about the really long wait. I've been snowed under with personal stuff that I am not going to get into and all the other usual work and school stuff. And to show you all how sorry I am, I made this instalment extra long, I think its word count is closing in on 15k, with most of the answers to the previous chapter held within, I know you guys had plenty of questions. I hope it makes up for the excruciating wait. So shall we?**

**Chapter Thirty Nine, Jane's POV.**

"Idiot. Imbecile. Cretin. Fool. Moron. Dumbass!" I growled low in my throat as I glared darkly at my afore mentioned mate. If I had a heartbeat it would still be pounding wildly in my chest. Eleven hours, it had been fifteen thousand eight hundred and forty minutes, give or take, since my idiotic mate had launched himself at Alexia, enraged over Bella's supposed death, only to have the female _Sicarri _toss him aside like a wet paper bag and in the process completely shatter the majority of Jacob's ribs.

"Man I just love a woman with an extensive vocabulary" Jacob grimaced around a pained smirk. Emmett and Felix had carefully carried my injured shifter into our bedroom and set him on our canopied four poster bed once the _Sicarri _had fled. Eleazar had already reset Jacob's ribs so that they would heal correctly and left several tiny bottles of morphine on the nightstand, if it hadn't been for Alec, Seth, Leah and Alice holding me back I likely would've ripped the medically trained vampire's head off when he caused my mate to roar in agony. Even now I couldn't settle, every time I thought about sinking into bed with Jacob I kept seeing him, a near seven foot shifter easily five hundred pounds of pure muscle, being caught in mid air like a crumbling rag doll. I couldn't contain my shiver as the echoing sound of my mate's ribs breaking after being flung helplessly across the twin's nursery. Icy hands ran up and down my back as I paced across the room and back again, we'd probably need a new carpet after I was through but it was the only thing keeping me tied to the small amount of sanity I'd recently inherited.

"If you ever do something stupid like that again. I will leave you, understand?" I snarled, ignoring his sarcasm as I prowled around our bed. The swirling panic I'd felt blossom when Alexia had materialised into the nursery like a fucking wraith still burned in my chest, the horror that seared through me when Jacob fell to the floor...

"Jane..." Jacob's impossibly deep baritone cut through my echoing whirlwind of emotion, I managed to stop my erratic and almost involuntary pacing long enough to glance at my mate. The storm within my chest fizzled out instantly. Jacob was leaning his back against our pillows, our silk sheets were pooled at his lean waist, leaving his broad bare chest to my gaze, it if hadn't been for the brutal discolouration painted across his heavily defined abs. I would've been tricked into thinking this was any other night in the mansion.

"...Come here" Jacob murmured, patting the side of our bed next to him. Pursing my full pink lips, I stiffly closed the distance between us. The roguish smile he gave me as I crawled across the mattress towards him, made me want to snuggle into his side and stay put for the next thousand years. I didn't want to disturb his injuries though, no matter how partially healed they were, so I knelt close to him instead, the soft material of our bedsheets pressed into my knees. The warmth radiating off his muscular form had me calming slowly, the previous day seemed to be nothing more than a bad daydream. My mate was alive and next to me. All was right in the world.

"I'm always gonna do everything I can to protect you and our family..." Jacob lifted his bronzed hand, searching for my own laying lifelessly on my nylon covered thigh.

"...But I won't be so careless again. I knew the second that bitch stepped foot in this house that we weren't going to be able to do anything to stop her and I shouldn't have upset you by doing something so fucking harebrained" His large hand dwarfed mine as he entangled our fingers together tightly, I didn't even have time to think before I was squeezing his hand desperately, in every respect he was so much bigger than I was, but that fact never made me feel uncomfortable. I knew I was safe with Jacob.

"Do you need another dose yet?" I murmured gently.

"Huh?" Jacob frowned deeply. I was a lucky vampire to have such a ruggedly handsome mate. I had traced and memorised every contour of his sculpted face, while he was asleep, when he was awake. I knew every expression, knew how to read his emotions from the tell-tale signs he gave me. If I ever lost him, I wouldn't survive.

"Morphine you cretin, do you need another dosage?" I arched a perfectly shaped blonde eyebrow at him.

"Aww is that concern I see in your beautiful black eyes?" Jacob teased with a devilish wink. I smiled reluctantly, almost willing my irises to retain, what had become, their usual colour once I'd altered my diet. After a thousand years of gorging on human blood, my eyes had never quite retracted from ruby red, they didn't gleam brightly like molten gold in the sunlight and they couldn't be mistaken for topaz. They were a darker hue, like honey, which Jacob had stated on numerous occasions was his favourite colour.

"Call it what you want. Morphine?" I asked for a third time. Jacob's tender grin, aimed directly at me, made me feel like I just got shocked with a megawatt. A sensation I'd only ever experienced for him.

"A hug from the woman I love would work better than any painkiller" Jacob's grin grew wider, I felt his thumb began to draw gentle circles on the back of my hand. The wild soaring in my chest made my unneeded breath catch in the back of my throat as I squeezed his palm softly.

"Yeah, apparently you're already high" I drawled sarcastically. It had been months since we'd stumbled across each other, he'd discovered things about me that I didn't even know about myself. That I could, in fact, love another person who wasn't my brother. Maybe it was time to tell him that?.

"Guess that makes you my drug doesn't it?" Jacob drawled, a mischievous gleam in his dark coloured eyes. I tilted my head curiously, a split second before he was yanking me forward by the hand, I tried to avoid his ribs, I really did. But my mate is a moron with no concern for his own good health, it is fortunate I can do it for him. I rolled my eyes at him as I carefully tucked myself into his side, lightly so I didn't agitate his injuries any further. I hid my smile in his hard chest as I felt his heavily muscled arm snake around my shoulders gently. It was like curling up beside an open and lit hearth after a long day spent out in the cold.

"Am I hurting you?" I asked with a concerned frown when I felt him tense slightly against me. I started to pull away from him, only to find him tightening his arm around me, cutting my route of escape. Not that I actually wanted to go anywhere.

"Nah my ribs are mostly healed" Jacob murmured, tilting his head towards me with a loving smile. I gingerly set my hand on the centre of his broad chest, feeling his strong heartbeat beneath my dainty palm, and awkwardly settled beside him again. Sighing contentedly as the fiery heat from his body seeped into mine, I could quite happily lie beside him until hell froze over, or until he at least had to eat again. I snorted quietly to myself in response to my own thought. Jacob could easily eat his way through five times his own body weight every day. It was a good thing Esme enjoyed cooking because the last time I tried my hand at it, when I was a human, I damn near burned my entire village down. My bastard of a father never did find out it was Alec that prepared his meals.

"...Jake?." I finally whispered, beginning to draw slow, feather-light, circles on his naturally bronzed flesh with the tips of my fingers.

"Yeah baby?" His voice was taking on a husky tone, his relaxing form pressing into every inch of mine was telling me he was slowly slipping towards sleep. He'd probably be fully healed after he'd rested a little more.

"I love you" I mumbled for the first time, instantaneously wanting to duck and cover from his unwavering gaze suddenly locking with mine. I swallowed the lump of anxiety wedging itself in my throat, nibbling on my lower lip nervously as I watched the tell-tale signs I'd learned to read became apparent, in the dark pools of his eyes that suddenly shone with tenderness and the abrupt bright grin that sprang across his face.

"I love you too Jane" Jacob replied earnestly. I met him more than half way when he leaned down to kiss me. A gentle and sweet meeting of our lips, regardless of my primal instincts insisting that he was healed enough for me to deepen our kiss, I broke it quickly with a loving smile.

"You're still a cretin" I mumbled as I replaced my head on his broad chest, grinning jovially as Jacob's deep chuckle resounded around me. Only to be drowned out by the song of his strong heartbeat. He was safe, that was all that mattered to me.

**Bella's POV.**

"Eleven hours..." I drew Rosalie against me as her anguished voice brushed gently against my overly sensitive ears, still ringing from Ashley's persistent screaming. Our daughter hadn't stopped crying for a single moment since the fucking _Sicarri _had sauntered off. She hadn't even been interested in feeding.

"...Its makes no sense Bella. Why would she be so upset?" Rosalie whimpered with distress into the base of my throat, her elegant hands desperately clung to my slender hips tightly, like she was scared I'd disappear. It felt like I'd just been stabbed through my unbeating heart. My mate was distraught by our daughter's perplexing response to Alexia and her fucking band of cold hearted bastards leaving. And there was nothing I could do for either of them. Nothing. And it broke my heart.

"I don't know..." Fucking hell, uselessness is not a good sensation for me to be feeling, it made the venom coursing through my veins burn red hot, my 'gift' was simmering far to close to the surface.

I dipped my head as I tightened my arms around Rosalie's tiny waist, inhaling her calming Freesia and Jasmine scent while pulling her impossibly closer to me. Two halves of the same whole fitting together like two pieces of a puzzle. This was what I lived for, Rosalie and our twins, mere hours ago I nearly lost them. The pain that attempted to burn its way through me faded into nothingness when Rosalie lovingly began nuzzling the bare skin of my throat.

Unbidden my neon blue eyes centred on the crib across the nursery, Ashley was frowning and whimpering softly in her sleep, beside her Lucas was awake and looking back at me with intelligent eyes a few shades lighter than my own. He seemed to be just as confused as we did. The notion wasn't comforting at all, the twins always seemed to be on the same page, like two sides of a coin. If Lucas couldn't define what had upset his sister, what hope in hell did Rose and I have?. And if we didn't know what was hurting our baby girl, how did we make it better?.

"...We should let them sleep baby" I whispered into the exquisite shell of my mate's ear. Silently I cursed when she jerked out of my embrace, away from me, staring at me like I'd just suggested that we abandon them for eternity. The traumatised heartbreak in her dark eyes stole my unneeded breath, like someone had just given me a powerful kick to my sternum. The painful tightness in my chest increased tenfold, refusing to leave me until my heart had imploded and there wasn't anything I could do to dispel the agonising sensation.

"I'm not leaving them" Rosalie protested, her jet black eyes gleamed brightly in the darkness. It wasn't even half four in the morning, at this time of year the Alaskan sun wouldn't rise for several hours and it would be quick to set once more.

"We're just gonna be next door Rose" I murmured quietly. Striding forward to draw her back into my arms, I bit my lip to keep from growling in frustration when I felt her hands pressing into my shoulders as though to keep me at arms length. I dropped my arms back to my sides, forcing myself to stay put as she began to pace hectically. Her emotions were running wild, I could see each one of them as they passed over her beautiful face. Fear and Anxiety being the more prominent. God I needed to hold her, I would give absolutely anything to feel the warmth of her body against mine right now, to offer her what comfort I could and soothe my own erratic emotions.

God knows I didn't want to be away from the twins for even a second, I wanted to bundle them both up into my arms and run, to take them and Rosalie far away from this _place. _The place I almost lost them. But that wasn't an option though. Alexia had well and truly proved that she was a force to be reckoned with, the bitch had hunted my kind for thousands of years to the brink of extinction and she was damned good at it. There wasn't any running away from her. I need a plan and I need to know that Rosalie is okay with it. The rest of my family's opinions were a grey area as far as I'm concerned, but I was not doing anything to further upset my mate when she was already distressed.

Hence my deal with a ghost.

"I promise you. They will be fine" If Dana was a Fae of her word then the _Sicarri _wouldn't come back here to the mansion, so long as I held up my end of the agreement which I had every intention of doing. Nothing was getting in my way of that. And if something did try to stop me, it wouldn't take much to move it.

"You don't know that" Rosalie protested in a heated whisper. I sighed harshly, there was no way I was having this conversation here. If voices got raised, which I had a slight suspicion they would, I sure hell didn't want to risk Ashley waking up. Her screams had torn hundreds of strips off my heart as it was and I knew our daughter's distraught crying was doing the same to Rosalie.

"Yes I do..." I insisted, barely above a whisper. The confused frown that suddenly painted itself across my mate's angelically beautiful face, tugging her perfectly shaped blonde eyebrows downwards, encouraged me to extend my hand towards her. At least she hadn't flat out rejected the notion of stepping away from our children for a few moments again.

"...I'll ask V and Esme to watch over them while I explain. Just come with me" I coaxed softly. I waited patiently for Rosalie to finish contending her internal war with herself, I knew precisely how hard it was for her to take the first step towards me. Her legs must feel like lead, I knew that because mine weren't any better.

"They'll be fine..." I forced a tight half-smile for her when she slipped her warm hand into mine with a weary expression.

"...Trust me Rose" I entwined our long slender fingers together before I quietly guided her towards the double doors leading out into the hallway. I could sense Victoria and Esme stepping out of their bedroom several metres down the expensively furnished corridor, their footsteps echoed through the otherwise silent mansion, heading up towards the nursery. Everyone was still really shook up over the _Sicarri _attack, as far as I knew they were all holed up in their rooms with their respective mates, just trying to settle their nerves as best they could.

"Of course I trust you. But..." Rosalie glanced over her slender shoulder towards the twins, Lucas stared back at us with tired eyes while Ashley slept fitfully beside her younger brother, the two had been born two minutes apart.

"I know..." I felt her squeeze my hand, searching for reassurance that our children would be fine without us for a while. I lifted her pale hand up to my full lips, pressing gentle kisses to each of her individual knuckles which earned me a small smile from my mate. I waited for her quiet nod before I reached for one of the solid gold doorhandles, pulling the door open made very little sound thanks to Esme's diligent maintenance of the gold hinges. Sometimes I really wonder how my mother manages to keep the house in such a flawless state.

"...Hold the fort for two minutes?" I murmured to Victoria. The redhead was leaning back against the far wall wearing a stoic expression, her arms were wrapped tightly around Esme's waist, the smaller vampire was leaning back into her mate's embrace. The two looked wary as hell. There was no one else that Rosalie and I would rather trust our twins with then our parents.

"However long you need" Victoria replied softly, reluctantly releasing Esme from the protective cage her arms formed, the look my parents shot me before they strode into the nursery told me I was going to be having one hell of an ear bashing when things settled down a little. I shrugged slightly, I'd know it was coming when Victoria had jerked me into a merciless hug right after the _Sicarri _ran off into the night, she nearly crushed my frigging spinal cord. I began urging Rosalie to take slow steps away from the twins room and down to our own.

"You might wanna sit down for this" I suggested after I pushed our bedroom door closed behind me. Rosalie frowned but nevertheless settled on the edge of our four poster bed with her elegant hands gripping her perfectly toned thighs encased in light grey nylon. She looked so vulnerable right now. Her slender shoulders were slumped, her cashmere cardigan had fallen and gathered at her elbows, her eyes had darkened with chaotic emotion and reflected a bright sheen of tears that could never fall.

"You know I would never do something if I thought it would endanger you and the twins right?" I asked on a shaky breath, forcibly preventing myself from pacing even though I could feel the muscles in my legs begging to exerted.

"What the hell kind of question is that?" Rosalie arched an eyebrow with the smallest hint of an eye roll, I smiled despite the lump of anxiety that was doing its best to strangle me with invisible hands.

"One that doesn't need an answer...apparently" I smirked to myself even as my hand came up to subconsciously rub the back of my neck nervously, I grumbled at myself before I crossed my arms beneath my breasts. I didn't want to worry my mate, her safety and happiness along with that of our children came above all else in my list of priorities. But I couldn't very well keep my end of the bargain with Dana without saying anything to the one person I care about most, it just wasn't an option.

"It doesn't need a response because its not a question to me, of course I know you wouldn't endanger us, it goes without saying..." Rosalie titled her head at me, the long fall of her silky blonde hair fell over her right shoulder, left bare by her white halter neck top.

"...That does beg the question of why you'd ask me something like that though" Rosalie's posture became even more rigid, like a magnificent statue.

"Yesterday..." I began slowly, working myself up to the one point I knew was going to cause waves. Already I could see a steady tick form in my mate's flawlessly sculpted oval shaped jaw at the mere mention of the previous day.

"...Alexia injected me with something" Unwittingly I rubbed the side of my neck when my skin flared with phantom pain, even though the wound was already healed without leaving the slightest hint of the damage inflicted. I didn't even see Rosalie move, until my back connected with the solid oak door behind me, the softness of her sinfully curved body pressed into mine from neck to knee, her hands were frantically searching for any type of injuries. The panic in her eyes made me catch her wondering hands in my own gently. She hissed firmly, _hissed, _like a majestic lionessat me for interrupting her inquiring touch.

"I'm fine..." She didn't believe me, at least not on an instinctive level, I could see it in her dark eyes. I smiled tenderly as I guided her hands upward, until she took the hint and wrapped her arms around my neck, reaching down I snaked my own around her waist before I effortlessly lifted her up off the floor and carried her back over to our bed. Turning at the last second, I sat on the edge with Rosalie cradled in my lap. I bit my lip to keep my thoughts from wondering towards the gutter when I felt her tightly encircle my hips with her long legs.

"...Because of my sister" I whispered low, for her ears only, the last thing I needed was Akasha and Elena to overhear me. For whatever reason, Dana and Soren had been adamant that my biological parents did not discover my older sister's survival. Every inch of Rosalie's delectable body tensed in my arms. I sighed harshly to myself, the weight of my mate pressing into my jeans clad thighs, and the softness of her flat stomach and chest pressing into mine prevented me from wading into the sea of questions I had concerning my sister, barely.

"I thought she was supposed to be dead" Rosalie murmured, following my lead and keeping her melodious voice a few octaves lower than a whisper. I could feel a soft purr begin to rumble out of my chest as her warm hands start stroking my back lovingly. This was exactly what I needed, to be in Rosalie's embrace surrounded by her warmth, her hypnotic voice, her scent and to feel the softness of her perfect body pressing into mine.

"That is the official story as far as Akasha and Elena know" I snorted sardonically. How Dana managed to pull off faking her own death from two Fae was beyond me. Besides why would she want to convince the two women that had birthed her that she was dead?. It made no sense.

"So what is the truth?" Rosalie whispered. I leaned my head forward, resting my cheek on my mate's celestially soft shoulder as I splayed my long fingers across her lower back. My eyes drifted closed of their own accord, there wasn't anything else in the world that felt more natural than to simply cradle my mate against me and to breath in her comforting aroma.

"She'll tell me everything, if I meet her in Forks today. Alone..." The loud protesting snarl that ripped itself free of her full pink lips made me shiver against her. I let my eyes drift open when a constant growl continued to rumble from deep in her chest. Reluctantly I lifted my head off her shoulder while drawing tiny circles on the small of her back. I could feel her fingers digging into my slim shoulders, her short nails encouraged a small amount of glossy venom to stain the plain material of my dark long sleeved shirt.

"...If I hear her out, she'll keep the _Sicarri _away for as long as she can" If it was true. I felt that I could trust Dana, but for some inane reason I also kept thinking that maybe Alexia had told me the truth yesterday. I wasn't stupid, I knew the chances of either one were slimmer and more flimsy than a piece of worn string. But what if?. In my singular century, that was question that drove me insane at every twist and turn.

"You don't know her Bella, it could be a trap. How do you know she isn't just luring you away from us so that Alexia can..." The half wail, half growl that leapt out of Rosalie's mouth made me clench my jaw to keep from voicing the pain her distress caused me. I wanted to scream. Instead I reached under the thin material of her halter neck top, until I could draw feather light patterns on the bare skin of her lower back. There was too many layers between us. Too much chaotic emotion that just wouldn't settle. I needed to feel her bare skin against mine. Now. Swallowing my rising desires, I let them pool in my stomach where they slowly began to build. I searched out her dark eyes, our gazes locked. Her legs tightened around my waist, like she knew where my thoughts were trailing off to. Her soft skin beneath my fingertips began to heat.

"I need the truth Rose. I'm not getting everything from Akasha and I will be damned before I trust what fucking Alexia told me" I whispered.

"And I will be damned before I let you walk out this house" Rosalie murmured, gentle as a breeze but her stare was determined. I felt her shift in my lap, a split second warning before I felt her hands meander towards the front of my shoulders. I knew what she was going to do, but I had zero intention of stopping her. We both needed this.

"Guess I'm gonna have to fuck the fight outta you then, aren't I?" I felt her sharp nails dig into my shoulders before I quickly leaned up toward her sweet mouth in the same instant I sent one of my hands up to cup the nape of her neck beneath the long fall of her hair, the silky strands brushed over the back of my hand.

Her eyes flashed with protest before they were consumed with lust. I traced my tongue across her lower lip, a hungry growl sounded in her chest as I felt her lips part instantly. I plunged my tongue into the heated depths of her mouth, at the base of her neck my fingers tightened their hold on my mate's satin soft skin. With one arm wrapped tightly around her waist, I pulled her closer, tighter to my chest as the moist stroke of her tongue against mine inflamed my senses.

I tangled my tongue with hers, savouring her rich intoxicating taste while I watched through half-lidded darkening blue eyes as her own drifted shut as we kissed, her blonde eyelashes were so pale against her magnolia toned cheek. The taste that filled my mouth sent my mind spinning, away from the outside world and all the crap that happened out there. It all faded away. Rosalie's taste was like summer rain, quenching my thirst for her passion but driving my blossoming hunger for her touch higher.

Her long slender fingers were dragged down the length of my back as I began flicking the tip of my tongue against hers, even through the material of my shirt I could feel my flesh begin to prickle with awareness. Her legs tightened around my waist, the muscles in her toned limbs were flexing restlessly. Our breathing grew heavy in unison. Moving my hands down her passion tensed body, I curved my hands beneath the firm globes of her ass. Taking a moment to knead the taut muscles, catching the low moan that drifted from her velvety soft lips with my hungry mouth, before I dragged myself up off the mattress with her wrapped around me.

My body felt inflamed as I turned around, kneeling on the edge of our bed as I carefully set my treasured mate in the centre, her legs still wrapped around my hips and her addictive taste still flooding my mouth as our tongues duelled. Her hands were suddenly toying with the hem of my shirt, telling me without words what she wanted. I growled reluctantly, I could kiss her for days without stopping if she'd just let me.

"Take your shirt off. Now." Rosalie's demanding tone left me no more choice. I sat back on my haunches, never once did her legs fall away from my hips as I knelt between her spread thighs. Her fully clothed body needed to be tended to. I needed her naked skin against mine. Even so, it could wait, for now. I gripped the bottom of my shirt and swiftly dragged it upward, revealing my taut abdomen and ample lace covered breasts to Rosalie's ravenous gaze. I carelessly tossed my shirt off to the side while her hands came up to caress my flat stomach. I let my hands stay perfectly still at my sides as she lightly ran her fingertips over my sensitive skin.

Our eyes locked together as she let her long legs fall from around my hips, plating her bare feet flat on our bed she sat up partially with me still knelt between her legs. I tilted my head back on a moan as her hot tongue lapped from the navel to the cups of my bra. Arousal flared inside me, halting my breath as Rosalie followed the wet trial her tongue had created, back down my abdomen to my navel and back up again. I lifted my hands and tangled my long fingers in her long blonde hair as I felt her perfect teeth pull at my bra's front clasp. Even I caught the potent wave of my lust forcing the air around us to take on a musky aroma. The prospect of feeling her hot mouth covering my hard nipples erotic enough for me to tighten my fingers tangled in her silky tresses.

"The scent of your need will drive me crazy" Rosalie rasped huskily. Her hands seized my hips, just above the waistband of my stonewashed jeans.

"Its what you do to me" I replied on a shaky breath. My breasts felt so swollen, the lacy material of my bra was an uncomfortable rasp over my nipples. Rosalie purred her agreement as her nimble fingertips caressed a teasing line up my sides, until I felt her expertly unhook my bra. I bit my lower lip as the cool air rushed over my overly sensitive peaks, exhaling sharply when I felt her moist tongue lap at the newly exposed skin between the twin mounds. My fingers tightened in her long golden mane as she tossed my black bra off to join my shirt on the floor.

"Oh hell..." I groaned at the wave of endorphins suddenly pumping through my veins, I felt dizzy with my lust as I felt her warm breath feathering over my chest, drawing close to where I desperately needed her hot mouth.

Her moist tongue distended and I moaned. My back arched when I felt it stroke against one overly sensitized nipple. Her husky growl and my strangled moan filled the dark expanse of our bedroom. I dropped my hands to her shoulders, unintentionally squeezing the soft flesh under my fingers. When the heat of her mouth covered the hard tip, pleasure whipped through my body with such force I felt my entire body jerk. My dark eyes begin to flutter closed on their own.

"Watch me..." She whispered with a moan against my sensitive flesh, her teeth rasped against her as she nipped at my nipple. A small flash on fire seared across my heated peak.

"...Don't close your eyes Bella. Watch me, so I can see your pleasure" I raked my nails over her shoulders, forcing my eyes to remain open. She smirked up at me as I stared down at her, her fingers dug into the tight flesh of my hips. I arched my back hard as her hot tongue licked over my nipple. I hissed at the white hot pleasure was washed over me as she gripped the hard point between her perfect teeth ever so lightly as her tongue rasped over it slowly. Her hand moved from my waist, caressing up my side, until she cupped my neglected breast.

"Oh yeah, just like that Rose" Sharp spears of sensation shot through my abdomen straight to my slick pussy, my tight channel clenched as Rosalie began suckling on one of my nipples. My pink peaks hardened further, ache, set afire by the hard rasp of her heavenly soft thumb brushing over the turgid tip and flickering tongue. The scent of mate's musky arousal cut through the my lustful haze.

"Enjoying yourself baby?" I moaned, recalling my promise to fuck the fight out of her. I stroked her pale shoulders with my fingertips, struggling to shove my own lusts into their cage. I may be physically stronger than her, but I needed her just as much as she needed me. Having to deny myself the pleasure of her touch was almost too much. I licked my lips, trailing my hands from her shoulders to cup the slender curves of her jaw in my hands. Rosalie growled when I carefully pulled her ravenous lips away from my breasts.

"You're over dressed..." I drawled with a devilish smirk, I felt her legs tense on either side of my thighs, the heat radiating from the centre of her body had my mouth watering. I was famished for the wet folds between her thighs.

"...Take your shirt off and lean back" I coaxed, feeling my eyes burn with desire as I stared back at her. Waiting for her to do what I'd said while my hands went to the fly of her light grey nylon pants. When she was finally bared to my gaze, only her crimson thong shielded her most intimate flesh from my hungry eyes, my clit pulsated demandingly. Every inch of her was carved to perfection. Long toned legs that went on for days, flowed into slender hips and lean waist, coursed into a taut flat stomach and arched into the ample mounds of her breasts topped with tight pink nipples. Heat pooled in my pussy, the tender folds throbbed and my tight channel clenched, mourning its painful emptiness as my juices spilled from my sex, coating my sensitive labia. My clit ached as I traced the breath taking contours of her body. And she was all mine.

"You're so beautiful baby" I purred, running one hand over the magnolia pale flesh of her taut stomach as I leaned over her, bracing my weight on my free palm beside her body. Her long legs clasped my hips as I feathered tender kisses over the slender column of her her neck, nipping at her warm skin on occasion. I guided my hand up to cup each of her ample breasts in turn, while licking my way up to her sculpted lips, my mate moaned deep in her throat as her diamond hard nipples rasped against my hand. The scent of our arousal was thick on the air. I kneaded her soft breast as I brushed my lips over hers, our eyes locked as we kissed lovingly, both of us breathing heavily.

"You know I'll never let anyone come between us..." I nipped at her lower lip, moving my hand down her astonishingly soft flesh to rest just about the waistband of her thong, I could feel the heat radiating from her core even there. Her hips arched, silently demanding that I slip my fingers beneath the silky material to caress the passion swollen folds I couldn't wait to slide my fingers into.

"...Even if Dana has set a trap, I promise I'll come home to you" Behind the burning arousal in her darkened eyes, I glimpsed reluctant acceptance. I covered her lips with my mouth hastily, reverently indulging in the velvet softness before I slowly began my descent towards the apex of her thighs. Lingering at all my favourite places between, licking and sucking at all her sweet spots until her panting and moaning echoed loudly around us, ringing in my ears and driving my need to feel the thick juices I knew spilled her pussy coating my tongue. Our lustful gazes locked as I toyed with the sides of her panties, Rosalie lifted her hips, allowing me to unveil her tight little pussy to my ravenous eyes. I tossed her underwear off to join the rest of her clothes on the floor.

"Spread your legs wider" I gnawed at my lower lip as she eagerly bent her knees and placed her bare feet flat against our mattress once again. I shivered slowly, the lust that struck me like a lightning bolt was almost enough to start my heart beating again. Her thick juices spilled from her dark pink folds, swollen from need, her clit had emerged from its little hood, I could almost see the tiny bundle of nerves throbbing, even the insides of her perfect thighs glistened with the evidence of her arousal.

"For God's sake Bella, fucking touch me before I go insane..." Rosalie groaned desperately, her hands balled up in our maroon coloured sheets. Shimming down her writhing body, I pressed my hands against the insides of her thighs, pressing them further apart. The musky scent of her arousal had my mouth watering for her taste.

"...Oh shit" Rosalie's sharp cry echoed around our bedroom when my tongue stroked over her swollen clit, circling it with a smooth, sensuous lick. I groaned at the sweet taste of my mate while her hips jerked spasmodically. I was helpless to cover her sensitive clit with my lips, drawing it into my sucking mouth, the piercing scream that erupted from her sculpted lips had my own bundle of nerves pulsating desperately. The almost painful rasp of my underwear grating against my wet pussy had me growling against the minor friction. My tongue licked over Rosalie's clit, I stroked the nerve of knots as my hands held her thighs open, controlling the involuntary undulations of her hips against my mouth. Incoherent pleas fell from her lips as I eagerly lapped up the silky cream spilling from her hot pussy, moaning as more of her thick juices rushed towards my hungry lips. God I would never get enough of her.

"Bella please..." I growled huskily against her glistening pussy when I caught her begging for me to push inside of her, her quick panting and moaning almost stopped me from hearing her.

"...Please make me cum" I lifted my head as I guided my right hand up towards her hot cunt, she whined at the desertion of my mouth, only to scream as I pushed my middle finger hard and deep inside her tight pussy, I watched as the long digit disappeared into her writhing body, I grimaced at the brutal pleasure that gripped me when her hot slick inner muscles clamped down on my finger like a silken vice. The rhythmic sucking on my finger as I worked it in and out of her hot channel warned me just how close to the edge she already was. It wouldn't take much for me to push her up into the pinnacle.

"Ride my hand baby" I groaned tightly, she instantly began canting her hips up into my steadily thrusting finger, I added a second digit, my own hips began rocking themselves against the duvet beneath them as I watched two of my fingers push inside of her suckling pussy only to reappear soaked with her juices before I thrust them back inside of her. The further tightening of her inner muscles urged me to return my mouth to her clit with hungry demand.

I kept my eyes trained on Rosalie's face, I watched as her eyes widened, I growled against her throbbing clit, clamping my lips on it and sucking furiously as I started quickening the pace of my thrusting fingers. The sounds of her wet pussy accepting my hard and deep thrusts echoed around us, her moans were just as loud as I continued working her swollen clit, finally I curled my fingers, pressing against her sweet spot. It was like fireworks exploding.

She screamed my name as the whipping sensation of her orgasm slamming into her writhing body tore through her, tightening her muscles as her pussy continued to draw on my fingers. I slowed my thrusting to let her ride out the fiery waves of pleasure gripping her in rapturous hands. I continued lapping at her clit, her body jerked against me, the overly sensitized flesh beneath my lips protesting any further torment, no matter how ecstasy. Her chest rose and fell rapidly with her harsh panting. I slithered up her stunning body, leaving my fingers buried inside her still quivering pussy, feathering a wet trail of open mouthed kisses up the length of her body as I went. I found the silver circular mark covering the side of her slender neck, I licked at the small indicator of my eternal possession, smiling as I felt her pussy clench down on my fingers again.

"I love you Rose" I murmured reverently, feeling her body slowly cease its trembling beneath me.

"Love you too" Our joint purring suddenly flooded our bedroom, I nibbled my way along her jaw towards her lips. Kissing her gently, I smiled slowly, the distraught tension previously surrounding her like the sea surrounds an island had fled.

"Ready to go again?" I whispered against her lips, I felt her smile against me. A split second later I was flat on my back with her straddling my lean hips.

"Oh yeah"

**Lyssandra's POV.**

"...Either you tell her, or I will" I gotta admit I was mildly proud of the dangerous growl that accompanied my threat. In front of me Peyral shifted nervously on his loafer clad feet, refusing to meet my gaze, at least he had some minor self-respect. Yeah I'd be nervous too if I had to tell Alexia, the _Prima _of the _Sicarri,_ that I couldn't bring myself to kill one measly fucking vampire. Scratch that, I'd be running for the fucking hills and begging the Gods to negotiate on my behalf for her non-existent mercy.

"Lyss..." If I could break his neck without causing a motherfucking Civil War I would, as it stood, Peyral still had a chance to make a kill on our hunt so he was still part of Alexia's House, for now. He was just so...pathetic, and if my father had his way I'd be mated to the spineless pinhead, I'd be baring this worm's children. And I was supposed to be my father's favourite progeny.

_Yeah right, _I snorted sarcastically to myself.

If my father loved me, he wouldn't have ceased in his negotiations with the _Prime, _Alexia and Peyral's father, until he had secured a mate bond with myself, and the one woman I would happily breed for. Biding my time was not something I was used to, I was the heiress to one of the more prestigious _Sicarri _Housesfor fuck's sake, the world was there for my amusement. So why had my mate bond been promised to this undistinguished lout?.

"Don't fucking call me that, that name is reserved for _Sicarri _to address me by. Not little boys who can't bring themselves to end one fucking life!" I snapped harshly, I couldn't help but smirk at the flash of hurt in Peyral's eyes. Did he honestly think I felt anything for him?, that I could ever possible feel anything for him?, the idea was laughable.

"Its pitiful. If you ever want to see a wedding band around my finger you will fucking man up and you'll do it quickly" I hissed venomously. I could hear Jax whistling to himself across the plane, from what I could tell my bulky nest mate was listening to his I-pod, trying to appear oblivious to what I was growling at my 'suitor'.

I'd switched the controls from manual to autopilot for the rest of our trip back across the Atlantic ocean to Volterra, but that hadn't stopped Alexia from holing herself up in the cockpit. I assumed she was internally planning our next move, that or she found her brother's company to be just as taxing as I did.

"Go!" I snapped, flattening myself up against the unused drinks cabinet and flinging my arm out, gesturing towards the cockpit with an inwards grin. When Alexia found out that it was me who'd claimed Demetri's life instead of Peyral, like the _Prima _had planned on the car ride to the mansion, she was going to be fucking pissed. Alexia was so sexy when she was enraged. Her dark irises glowed red with demonic light, her elegant fangs elongated to their full length, the air of lethality that surrounded her like a constant cloak intensified to the point she was frightening even to a fully grown, distinguished _Sicarri. _Alexia's rage was more effective than any aphrodisiac I'd ever sampled over my thousands of years.

"Should you really be talking to your future mate like that?" Jax asked when Peyral had scampered passed me with his head lowered ashamedly into the cockpit, like puppy that had just been kicked.

"Jax baby, the point in mating a youngling is to shape them into the mate that you want" I lied with a smirk as I approached my fellow hunter, he was sat at one of the narrow tables lining the side, I kind of felt sorry for him, with his impressive height it could not be comfortable sitting at one of the low tables. It wasn't like he could stand up comfortably either. Poor guy.

"And you want a submissive mate?" Jax murmured, his cruel face adopted a knowing smirk. I grinned back at the muscular hunter, never letting on that he was so very wrong in his assumption. Hell no I didn't want a submissive, I wanted the Alpha of the Alphas. I wanted Alexia. Reducing Peyral to grovelling idiot would just keep me entertained if by some miracle he did make a kill, and I was forced to keep my oath.

"Hell yes baby. That is why me and you are never going to go anywhere" I smirked teasingly, eliciting a husky chuckle outta the big guy. Jax might not be a member of the more esteemed Houses but he had more than proved himself in the field one than one occasion or else Alexia would never have let him join our nest all those centuries ago, and any skilled _Sicarri _hunter was never submissive in any situation. Unfortunately he was like an untrained youngling compared to the _Prima. _It was a pity cause I never had a problem with getting him out of his pants.

"What the fuck Peyral!" Alexia's loud roar was kind of thing that inspired horror movies. It was so damn hot. I shared an amused look with Jax before I slipped into one of the chairs opposite my bulky nest-mate. A nest was made up of a small number of _Sicarri _that hunted together when the occasion called for it, more often than not the only things they had in common was a thirst for the hunt and the skill base to work together efficiently. It was no different for me and Jax, we hunted together and once in a while we fucked when we needed to take the edge off.

"...Lex please" Peyral's fearful voice prompted me to lean back in my seat, resisting the urge to rub my hands together like a little girl at the movies whose show was about to start. Jax's deep chuckle told me he knew exactly what I was thinking.

"Try not to cum in your panties Lyss" Jax drawled quietly, the last thing he wanted was for Alexia to overhear him in her enraged state.

"What panties?" We shared a playful grin just as the door separating the cockpit of our private jet and the main seating area flew open, Peyral came flying out directly after the door came off it's hinges with a loud metallic clanging sound. My would be mate landed with a pained grunt as his back connected with the plane floor, if it hadn't been for the reinforced titanium I had personally strengthened the jet's entire frame with, he probably would have gone straight through it. Poor show, that would've been cause for celebration.

I nearly recoiled when Alexia stepped out of the cockpit, I'd never seen her look like this. Her onyx dark eyes were swimming with fury and something else I couldn't quite name, the length of her gorgeous leather clad body was tensed tighter than a bow string. I thought she'd been out of sorts after we'd left the mansion. She was likely just pissed that we'd been forced to leave without our quarry. I bet I could calm her down given the chance.

"You only had one fucking thing to do. Kill Demetri. That was the plan. What?!, do you need me to hold your fucking hand!. Is that it?!..." I licked my lips discreetly as Alexia stalked closer to Peyral, arousal pooled into the pit of my stomach as she crouched over the cowering form of her undistinguished brother.

"...I'm starting to doubt whether you are of my bloodline. This fucking abnormality of yours ends here, do you understand?!" I stifled a husky growl as I watched Alexia's right arm shoot out like a python striking out at her prey, with a single hand and an effortless grace the _Prima _jerked her brother up off the plane floor, his feet dangled a full twelve inches off the ground. The whimper that escaped the little weasel had me crossing my legs at the knee, I loved it when Alexia was like this, so dominating. I glanced over at Jax, his hands were looking rather 'suspiciously' clasped togetherin his lap as they were.

"I want an answer Peyral" Alexia's rumbling snarl was like the cracking sound of thunder.

"I couldn't kill him Lex, he was helpless" Peyral whimpered, he strained to form coherent words due to the _Prima's _merciless hold, his hands came up to encircle Alexia's wrist almost pleadingly. He really didn't know his sister did he?.

"Exactly. He was easy pickings and you couldn't even kill him" Alexia casually tossed Peyral aside, like a human would throw a balled up piece of paper into a waste bin, he landed towards the end of the jet, the unhealthy creaking sound I detected made me grimace in annoyance.

"Lexi..." The dark glower she shot me was the most sexy yet frightening thing I'd ever seen, it made me wanna lose my pants crawl onto my stomach with my ass raised and beg her to fuck me like a bitch in heat. I could already feel my clit tingle with awareness, the juices coating my labia were ruining the insides of leather pants.

"...You'll break the jet at this rate" I had to clear my throat to murmur shakily, the musky scent of my arousal filled the plane along with the sounds of Peyral's pathetic whines.

"You're already wet Lyss, so what is the problem?..." I smirked and shrugged. If she wanted to tear Peyral to shreds who am I to question the authority of my _Prima?. _I am kinda fond of the jet though and I really didn't want to swim the rest of the way to Italy.

"...Fuck if it weren't for my mother, I'd have killed you already" Alexia's vicious snarl was aimed at Peyral, the boy was looking at me with heartbreak reflected in his strange brown eyes, I arched my blood red eyebrow mockingly.

"Lyssandra!" Alexia growled over her shoulder as she stepped back into the open cockpit after giving Peyral's slumped form a disgusted look, the steel door made a clanking sound as she passed over it.

"Excuse me" I polity murmured to Jax, my nest mate inclined his head sarcastically. I smirked before I hurried after Alexia, if I was a puppy my tail would be wagging happily.

"_Prima?" _I clasped my hands together in front of me when we were semi alone, I could still see Jax's relax form and Peyral's cowering body out the corner of my dark eyes. Alexia settled into the pilot's seat in front of the control panels, flexing her fists like she wanted to kill someone and was struggling to come up with a reason why she shouldn't.

"Reset our current course to the UK" Alexia ordered.

"Wh-" I automatically started to ask 'why''

"Because of this" She reached down the side, in a secluded niche was a black Dell laptop, closed and settled on its side. Like it was some kind of Frisbee that didn't cost a pretty penny she casually threw it over to me. I caught it easily, balanced the bottom in my left hand and drew the screen open with my right. A small flicker flashed across the screen before a picture of an enclosure back home caught my attention. Made up of Peyral ore, it's purpose was to keep the out of control younglings away from the distinguished populace. This one was torn open and emptied of the younglings it should've been caging. Shit! this was so _not_ good.

"An old Mage contact of mine has some 'work' she needs seeing to and she is willing to pay to see her competition disappear" Alexia leaned back in her leather padded seat, an arrogant smirk painted across her perfectly sculpted lips. Honestly, her beauty put the love child of a super model and a Goddess to shame.

"Election time again?" I smiled, closing the laptop and tossing it back to her. When she caught it in her right hand, I thought I saw something, something that had not been there before we'd gone to the Fae mansion, a slim vertical mark about two and half inches long, marring her flawless skin between her slight thumb knuckle and her slender wrist. I shook my head, there was no way...I was seeing things.

"Yep. Fourteen Mages and they all need to taken care of by tonight at the latest..." Alexia's smirk grew ever more lethal, I bit the inside of my cheek, hard enough to keep my mind focused on what she was saying rather than what I wanted her to do to me and what I would most willingly do for her.

"...I'll do it alone, you three will head back to Volterra and that means you and Jax have until tomorrow to sort that..._boy_...out. Get him prepared for the Fae's little holiday to Vampire's captial" Disdain was prominent in her other wise cold silky voice.

"Your wish is my command _Prima_" I purred suggestively. The tightening of her oval shaped jaw made me lick my lips again.

"Don't go easy on him Lyss" Alexia was trailing her long slender fingers over the side of her right hand subconsciously. Her ruthless eyes never left me. Did she even notice as her graceful fingertips grazed over the expanse of gloriously pale skin I thought I'd seen that mysterious mark. I couldn't see passed her languid movements to tell whether it had just been a figment of my imagination or if it was a real threat.

But it had to be...

There was just no way...

I titled my head curiously even as my eyes narrowed. Was that the reason...

_No._

It was a mirage, nothing more, the stress of dealing with Peyral's imbecility was getting to me. I refused to let another obstacle get in my way. I'm done jumping through flaming hoops to get what I want. Peyral better get ready to fade into a bad memory because I'm shooting for diamond encrusted platinum.

"Don't worry Lex, one way or another. He is gonna learn to play ball"

**Bella's POV.**

"...Take Leah and Alice with you"

I paused, in the middle of pulling my designer jeans back up over my lean thighs. I sighed to myself as I jerked the expensive denim up the rest of the way, letting the waistband settle low on my hips, buttoning them and pulling the fly up. I turned around to find Rosalie laying on her side, the maroon coloured duvet pulled up to her chest, her head resting on her palm, the long fall of her silky blonde hair splayed across one of her slim shoulders and teased our pillows with the possibility of feeling the golden tresses.

"Dana said..." I began to argue gently, turning on my bare heel to face her. I was semi dressed in my dark stonewashed jeans and lacy black bra. My dark hair was damp from my quickie shower and hung loose, hitting the tops of my shoulder blades.

"Dana said that on no circumstances were Elena and Akasha to find out about her. She said nothing about the rest of our family. Besides you can damn well guarantee that she will have her mate with her" Rosalie hissed. I knew she wanted to come with me, it was hard-wired into her instincts to be by my side when threats arose, we were mates, facing danger together was simply the natural order of things, and if it weren't for the twins she would no doubt insist on coming with me but her maternal aptitude had suffered a massive jolt yesterday. She needed to stay with the twins and I needed to make sure that all three of them stayed safe.

"Soren seemed more level headed then..." I stopped mid-sentence when she started growling, her neon blue eyes flashed dark once again.

"...So I'm just never gonna stop bring yesterday up again" I drawled sarcastically, doing my best to lighten the mood, seeing as getting back into bed wasn't an option. The clock on the nightstand told me I had about forty minutes until I was due in Forks.

"Good idea..." Rosalie nodded. I smiled when I caught her eyes brightening once more, before I headed over to the walk in closet. I had collection of belts hanging off a rack in the corner next to Rosalie's loyal army of shoes, most of them still in their designer label boxes. Randomly picking a plain white belt, I guided it through the loops on my jeans.

"...So where are you meeting her?" Rosalie grumbled from the bedroom. I had just shrugged into a black tank top that left a sliver of my pale abdomen bare, when I heard her melodious voice.

"A bar that Charlie used to frequent after a double shift" I rolled my eyes slowly. My adoptive human father Charlie hadn't gone out often, except to visit Billy, but when he did, without his best friend, I could always find him either at the diner or at the tiny bar a couple streets down from our old house. I'd be surprised if anything had changed. Forks was a little town and to my knowledge everything was carefully monitored and repaired when needed but there weren't any major changes over the passed century.

"You sure that place is still standing?..." Rosalie asked doubtfully, I shrugged into a leather jacket and zipped it up to mid chest after I pulled on a pair of silk socks and slipped my feet into a pair of knee high dark boots with a respectable three inch heel.

"...Its was still around when I was young" My mate snorted with a smile when I re-emerged from our closet.

"Oh come on, you're only..." I tapped my chin like I actually needed to think about it, doing my best to ignore the pursing of her full pink lips. They were just so distracting and deliciously kissable.

"Oh you better not forget my birthday, or we are gonna have some serious domestic problems" Rosalie warned with a playful smile.

"Oh I'm gonna act like that wasn't threat. _And_ mark it on the calender..." I ducked under the pillow that suddenly came flying at my head, with my heightened senses it was like someone had switched the world into slow motion. It collided with the closet door and dropped to the floor.

"...Joke. Jesus woman, throwing pillows at me?, that is the sign of some serious relationship issues. Do you think we should have us a little chat?..." I arched my right eyebrow sarcastically. Grinning wickedly when I was forced to duck under a second pillow. This morning's tensions seemed to have melted away, which I was more than just grateful for. Rosalie's distress had been like a knife in my chest.

"...I take that as a 'no' then" I caught the third pillow in my left hand. Striding over towards the bed I settled my weight on the edge, smiling lovingly when she shifted closer to me. I tossed the pillow over to the other side of our bed and reached to to brush a loose tendril of her blonde hair away from her beautiful face.

"Take Leah and Alice with you" Rosalie repeated softly.

"Alright" Dana hadn't actually told me to come alone, though I knew that was what she had in mind, so I guess bending the unvoiced rules a little couldn't hurt, besides like Rose had said, Dana was sure to have Soren close by her side.

"And don't take too long, 'cause if I have to come looking for you, not only will I be pissed but I'll bring Akasha and Elena with me. See how Dana likes that" Rosalie muttered. I grinned tenderly, gently trailing my fingertips over the soft skin covering her lightly muscled upper arm.

"I'll call you every half hour if needs be" I nodded gently.

"Deal. You might as well get going" Rosalie clenched her softly shaped jaw bitterly.

"Yeah. If I'm taking Leah and the Pixie I'm going have to leave...twenty five minutes early. Are you trying to get rid of me?" My adoptive sisters might be considerably slower than I was on foot but it wouldn't take that long to get down to Forks.

"Yes. Because I am this close..." Rosalie lifted her elegant hand and pressed her thumb and forefinger half a millimetre apart "...To changing my mind about this. Plus it couldn't hurt to check things out before you go into the bar"

"Yeah you're right" I agreed easily.

"I generally am" Rosalie smirked.

"Right again" I smiled down at her before I leaned in for a soft kiss, I felt her perfect teeth tug at my lower lip as I started to pull back. Chuckling huskily, I leaned back in, brushing my lips against the velvet softness of hers in a deliciously drawn out kiss that I never wanted to end.

"Mmmhm either get back in bed or hit the road" Rosalie broke our kiss with a sigh.

"Fine. I'm going..." I pouted, ignoring her smirk while I got to my feet.

"...Be back soon" I promised on my way towards the door.

"You better be" Rosalie grumbled turning over onto my side of our bed. I smiled tenderly while I turned the solid gold door handle. Leah and Alice were already waiting for me out in the hall, it was no surprise, after all living in a house filled with vampires, shifters and Fae was the equivalent of living in a fish tank. Leah was dressed in the a tiny pair of Daisy Dukes, a tight grey T-shirt, she'd left her feet bare and there was a band wrapped around her wrist. All in preparation for her shift. Alice, as per usual looked like she'd just stepped off a catwalk, or just gotten back from Milan, tight designer jeans tucked into tan leather boots, long pristine white shirt and tight black vest over the top. She had a handbag slung over one shoulder, though I couldn;t imagine what she'd need it for.

"You hear all that?" I arched my eyebrow, I knew for a fact that my sisters couldn't have possibly heard me mention Dana's name, Rosalie and I had kept our voices down to avoid Elena and Akasha overhearing.

"Just the mushy stuff" Leah smirked with a playful wink, her lithe arm was wrapped around the Pixie's slim shoulders.

"And the 'Take Leah and Alice with you'. For the record, where are we going?" Alice tilted her head, leaning into Leah's side, the Pixie's head barely reached Leah's chest.

"Tell you when we get outta here" I murmured, very aware of all the ears unintentionally listening into our conversation.

"Well lets get going then. Its been ages since I shifted and my wolf is chomping at the bit" Leah gently guided Alice towards the stairs with me bringing up the rear. Once we'd gotten downstairs and out the front door, I deliberately lagged behind while my sisters hurried over to the snow consumed forest.

Presumably, Alice would help Leah deal with her clothes once the shewolf had shifted into her massive white and grey counterpart. Listening in carefully I took off into the forest at a light jog when I picked up on Leah's paws hitting the snow blanketed ground. At my light pace, my sisters could easily keep up and we'd still reach Forks in good time. Alice ran as close to Leah as she physically could, the size difference between the two even when Leah was in her wolf form was still quite considerable. When we reached the Canadian border I was several metres in front of my adoptive siblings. The temperature gradually warmed as we drew near to Forks, the snow had already given way to brown and green foliage, the trees had shed their white coat. The sounds of insects and wildlife was faint, their instincts advised them to keep clear of the supernaturals gracefully bounding through the forest.

"Isn't that the place Charlie used to hang out with Billy and my dad sometimes?" Leah asked when we'd reached Forks, she'd shifted back into her human form and gotten dressed within the forest before we'd walked into town, Alice had pulled out a pair of tennis shoes for Leah out of her handbag. After all we were going to need all the help we could get to blend in with the Fork's populace, even now, approaching Mo's bar we getting plenty of stares from just about everyone. I'd forgotten what it was like to be around humans, their scents was no longer as appetising as it had been when I was just a vampire but the admiring looks had only increased and intensified. Jeez, did these people think they were being subtle?. It was even worse for Leah, even though the reservation was only a number of miles away, it was still hard to find a girl from La Push that was easily 6ft 4'' at the very least.

"Thats the place" I nodded.

"I haven't been in a place like this since I was turned..." Alice commented when we were stood outside, from what I could tell, Dana and Soren were already inside, surrounded by humans. Closing my eyes briefly, I let my enhanced senses outta their little box in the corner of my mind, mentally searching for any other supernaturals in the close vicinity and beyond.

"Seriously?" Leah murmured quietly as I blinked my neon blue eyes open once more. As far as I could tell, me, my sisters, Dana and Soren were the only five non-humans within a fifty five mile radius.

"Hello, married to Jasper, can you imagine him in a place like this?, surrounded by an all you can eat buffet?..." Alice chuckled nervously when Leah's growled at the mention of the Pixie's former marital status.

"...Really after our morning you can still get jealous?" Alice drawled. Leah perked up at the mention of her escapades with Alice.

"TMI Alice..." I butted in, heading for the entrance to the small bar. I could already smell the mixture of various alcohol and humans. Guess Alice's terminology of 'an all you can eat buffet' wasn't exactly wrong.

"...Aright whoever shows up now, I need you two to remain cool. Get me?" I asked when we'd stepped into the bar. It was quite busy given it was only eleven in the morning.

"Hey with my baby here with me I'll be as cool as a cucumber..." Leah drawled with her arm tightly wrapped around her mate's waist, the Pixie had snaked her own around her shifter's waist.

"...The fuck is that smell?" Leah suddenly snarled, discreetly taking a protective step in front of Alice. I sighed slowly, the last thing I needed was for Leah to flip out, maybe I should've explained things on the way down, but seriously what was I gonna say; 'Lee, Ali we're on our way to talk with a chick that is supposed to be dead...oh and did I mention that she is my biological sister and she is apparently mated to a _Sicarri_. Alright lets get rolling'

"Well it could be a mixture of things, humans, alcohol, the stench of the dead animals mounted on the walls or the cleaning products the humans use. But I'd say you probably picked up on my new perfume..." I nearly jumped out of my skin when Soren materialised in front of me, the six foot _Sicarri _was dressed in tight leather pants and a long sleeved v-neck shirt, her waist length jet black hair was tied back in a high ponytail just like yesterday.

"...How is your neck Bella?" Soren's light accent drifted over the light music playing out of a collection of very old speakers set up around around the bar.

"Its fine, there a reason it shouldn't be?" I tucked my hands into the pockets of my leather jacket, I could almost feel the confusion pouring of Alice and Leah, standing just behind me.

"Thats good, I was worrying that maybe you wouldn't have recovered completely, we did get the antidote to you quite late..." Soren glanced towards Leah and Alice, sizing them up with an analytical eye.

"...I don't suppose the two of you play pool?" Soren suddenly smiled, she still looked like the kinda person you'd cross the street to avoid, she had the same air of confident strength that Alexia possessed, the same flawless beauty I was beginning to suspect that very supernatural had, though this _Sicarri _didn't seem quite so sadistic as Alexia.

"What the hell is going on?" Leah growled at me, refusing to let Alice out from behind me.

"Leah, Alice, this is Soren of the _Sicarri_..." I started introductions.

"I can smell that!" Leah snapped quietly, mindful of the humans around us, and looking like she wanted to shift again and launch herself at the newcomer, if anything Soren looked amused by it.

"...Technically she is also my sister in law" Leah frowned at me slowly before recognition dawned.

"You're acquiring way too many sisters Bells" Alice drawled finally managing to sneak out from behind her puzzled mate. The Pixie didn't seem quite so phased as her mate, probably picking up on the fact that I was completely freaked by Soren's presence, or maybe she'd had some kind of vision?.

"You're one of 'em" I pointed out with a smirk.

"Yeah but I was the first...well your first adoptive sister anyway" Alice glanced up and down Soren's body like she was assessing for a weakness.

"So you two wanna help me fleece some humans outta their hard earned cash while Bella here talks with my mate?" Soren offered cordially.

"Lead on" Alice smiled, the Pixie was still uneasy, but she was hiding it really well.

"Dana is at a table toward the back" Soren tilted her head in said direction before she sauntered towards the pool tables.

"Go on..." I prompted when Alice and Leah just stood there staring at me.

"...I'll explain later" I promised before I strode toward the back of the bar, leaving them to follow after Soren. Dodging a few bustling humans I quickly found Dana sat a small circular table in the corner, oddly enough she had a glass of something that smelled a lot like rum and coke settled in front of her on the table. She must be trying to appear normal, after all, who sat in a bar without a drink?. I snorted as I drew closer to her, a woman that looked like Aphrodite in a town this small would never blend in, just ask Rosalie.

"Hey. How is your neck?" Dana had the same accent that Soren did, only it was less pronounced, I guess that meant my biological sister was younger than her mate.

"Good as new" I responded impartially as I took the seat across from her.

"Drink?" She offered, I arched my eyebrow at her sarcastically, she grinned playfully in response before signalling over a waitress. I got the impression she was used to summoning and dismissing people from her expert gesture. After I briskly ordered a beer, the human girl that looked to be in her teens hurried back to the bar.

"Are you actually drinking that?" I finally asked after the teen had set my beer on the table in front of me, Dana looked to be drinking her rum and coke, her throat was even contracting slightly. But we supernaturals knew how to make everything we did for humans look convincing.

"Just because we don't require human nourishment doesn't mean we can't indulge in our favourites..." Dana smiled, settling her drink back on the table. I stared back at her blankly, so far I got the sense that I could actually like her given time.

"...So you want me to start with the feud between our race and the _Sicarri _or..." She asked quietly.

"I already know from Akasha that our races were allied however many thousands years ago and that a lot of our race mated with theirs. Thats about it" I recounted.

"You don't refer to her as your mother?" Dana didn't seem overly surprised by the fact.

"I like Akasha and Elena well enough, but they could never replace Victoria and Esme" Dana nodded slowly.

"So I'm guessing you know that our birth mother, Elena, was a human before Akasha changed her..." She continued after I nodded.

"...Well what I know for a fact Akasha wouldn't have told you, is that she was already pre-contracted to a _Sicarri _named Jodelle."

"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" I muttered slowly.

"Because it ends in Alexia's eternal hatred of Akasha?..." Dana gave a sad smile "...Back when Akasha was a youngling, she was close friends with Alexia and Jodelle. From what I heard the three were inseparable."

"Until?" I prompted, a sinking feeling in my stomach had me sitting up straighter in my chair.

"I don't know the specifics but I do know Jodelle was rumoured to be head over heels with Akasha, so when our mother found her mate in a human. Safe to say none of the _Sicarri _Houseswere exactly content to let things lie. Problems escalated when Akasha refused to renounce Elena and Jodelle, um...well she killed herself, overwrought with grief after our mother publicly and very harshly enforced that she'd never respect her marital contract" Dana murmured softly.

"Jesus Christ" I muttered under my breath, I knew I didn't have the right to jump to conclusions but at the very least Akasha could've given this Jodelle a gentle brush off.

"Thats not the worst of it. _Sicarri _and Fae relations broke down, the _Sicarri _elderscommenced their purging of all the hunters refusing to relinquish their Fae mates" Dana shivered, frowning to myself, I made a mental note to ask why she had been allowed to remain with Soren.

"What about Alexia?. You said she was close to Jodelle" As hard as it was to believe.

"Lexi was the one that found Jodelle's body..." I mentally groaned to myself, looks like Alexia had been telling the truth yesterday. If she hadn't threatened my mate and children I might of felt some sympathy for her.

"...She was always committed to her hunts to the extent she appeared cold at the best of times, but she was never sadistic until she found out about Akasha and Jodelle."

"Where was she when this was happening?" I frowned. If someone I cared about was hurting I wouldn't just stand back while it happened in front of me.

"Thats a specific, I don't know" I nodded slowly.

"So if the _Sicarri _are hell bent on keeping Fae out of their bloodlines then why are you still with Soren?" Dana's expression brightened at the mention of her mate. If I focused I could hear the _Sicarri _calming talking with Leah and Alice over by the pool tables.

"After the purge, there was very few Fae still alive, the _Sicarri _hunted us down until we were edging on extinction with Alexia at the helm. Our parents and I fled from our ancestral lands, today you'd know them as the Carpathian mountains, there were half a dozen of us living in a nest. A couple centuries went by, during that time I reached maturity and I was eager to set out on my own for a while. Even convinced the 'rents to go along with it..." Dana smiled.

"...Some decades later, I was living apart from the nest but I still visited with them regularly and vice versa. What I didn't know was that a _Sicarri _had picked up on my scent during one of my return trips from our parent's nest."

"Soren?" I guessed, her megawatt smile and bright neon blue eyes gave her away. I rolled my eyes with a smile of my own.

"Yeah..." Dana sighed tenderly "...Imagine her surprise when she tried to kill me and instead she ended up being the first_ Sicarri _in a thousand years to experience the true mate bond, not just their pre-contracted version."

"What did you do?" I can't imagine Dana was over the moon at being tied to a _Sicarri _after their kind had nearly eradicated ours. Hell just look at what Jane did to Jake when he imprinted on her, and there was no history between them.

"I ran back to my house and I hid under my bed..." I shook my head slowly even as she laughed at the memory

"...She followed me of course" Mm two newly mated individuals in a bedroom, I wonder what happens next?.

"We didn't have sex..." Dana stopped my train of thought in its tracks.

"...In fact, she stayed out on my porch and quite politely knocked on my door" From what I'd experienced I couldn't picture a _Sicarri, _not even Soren who was by far the most cordial I'd encountered, asking for what they wanted.

"I ignored her as best I could, even when this thing appeared..." Dana raised her left hand, for the first time I noticed a slim vertical mark extending from her slight thumb knuckle to her slender wrist. It looked like some kind of glyph tattooed on her pale flesh.

"...These only appear for true _Sicarri _mates, not that I knew it at the time. Anyway a couple days went by, and she hadn't moved an inch. By the time I finally needed to feed...lets just say, I had a very agitated _Sicarri _on my hands..."

"Lemme guess. You got pounced on when you went hunting?" I smirked.

"Ah close. She followed me, she didn't really say anything, she just hunted with me. Guess she was still reeling from finding her mate huh?..." Dana grinned.

"...Funnily enough. We didn't even speak for several days and I couldn't bring myself to let near me yet"

"My spidey sense is tingling again" I drawled.

"Come on Bella, you've got young. How long after you mated with Rosalie did she go into heat?..." Dana retorted.

"...Anyway, our mother's nest was close enough that when I did go into heat. Every unmated Fae sensed it and they came sniffing like dogs within a few hours" Dana shivered in disgust.

"I'm guessing they never made it back to the nest huh?" I arched an eyebrow.

"I knew they were coming and I ask Soren to hide in the surrounding area, I thought I could handle myself..." Dana's smirk was filled with self-mockery.

"...Lets just say when one of them made to touch me, I didn't even get a chance to blink before their venom was staining the ground at my feet and Soren was there. None of them got away. I wasn't particularity fond of them, in fact Akasha wanted me to marry one of them, y'know build up the species again. And that is when Soren and I sealed the deal as it were" Dana licked her full lips slowly, I shook my head slowly when the scent of her arousal suddenly flared.

"So when in all that did you decided to fake your own death?" I finally asked.

"When I realised that Akasha would make me choose between her and Soren, the rift between the _Sicarri _and the Fae was never going to be sealed and Akasha hated Alexia just as much as Alexia resented her. Our parents were going to lose me either way. I thought it would be kinder for them to think that I was dead, you know draw a line under it."

"Did you seriously just say that?, you were their first born. They still love you, still mourn you" I stressed with a frown, if Ashley ever did this to me I grounded her sorry ass for eternity.

"I can't live without Soren and Akasha would never accept my mate. I did what I thought was right at the time" Dana shrugged, though her eyes were shinning brightly.

"So you let them think you were dead because you didn't want to face them?" I asked heatedly.

"It would've ended in one of them killing the other, and I would never be able to forgive the victor either way" Dana sighed regretfully.

"Why are you with the _Sicarri?, _why are you helping them if they want to kill all Fae?. Fuck, you were there yesterday with Alexia, you just said she won't stop until we're all dead" I exclaimed quietly, mindful of the humans around us in the bar.

"My loyalties are with Soren and hers lay with them. God Bella would you leave Rosalie if Akasha asked you to?!" Dana snapped.

"I'd kill anyone that tried to make me" I could feel a growl bubble out of my chest.

"Exactly" Dana tilted her head. We both sighed and sat in silence for a few moments, the music filling the bar was the only thing to be heard along with respective human heartbeats.

"You didn't actually answer my question before, why do the _Sicarri _accept you if they killed every other Fae that mated with their kind?" I broke our silence to ask.

"Believe it or not, it was Alexia that smoothed things over for us. The _Sicarri _elders wanted me dead but Lex is the _Prime's _daughter and she will be our undisputed leader soon. Even now, everyone of us refers to her as our _Prima. _Her influence is incalculable, her word is law"Dana murmured.

"Why would she do that?" I whispered in confusion.

"Had we been born of Jodelle and not Elena she would've been the human equivalent of our Godmother. Besides that, she was friends with our mother once" Dana pointed out.

"You make it sound as though she cares" I grumbled.

"She isn't unfeeling Bella, there isn't an immortal alive that understands her, but she isn't emotionless..." Dana insisted.

"...Thats why she has an offer for you" I stared at her, I wasn't surprised that Alexia knew about this little party.

"Come to Volterra, help her get what she wants from Aro, and she will leave you in peace...for now" Dana negotiated. I laughed despite the severity of this moment.

"So she traumatises my children and my mate, she kills a helpless vampire just because he was unfortunate enough to be there, and then she expects me to help her and for what?, a few years of peace?. If she is just going to come back, what is the damn point Dana?" I tilted my head in question.

"The point is you can't stop her and you know it. The only ones she truly wants is Akasha and Elena" Dana exclaimed.

"And you're willing to just hand over our parents?" I hissed. As far as I could tell Akasha's only crime was being way too brusque to a hurt _Sicarri. _But Akasha had only done that to be with her true mate, if anyone should respect that it was Dana.

"Bella this is war, someone is going to get hurt. Its unavoidable" Dana stressed.

"Y'know I can understand all of your decisions in a twisted way, but this?, you're talking about our parents like they're cattle!" I growled.

"There is something else you need to know about the _Sicarri..." _Dana began calmly "...When they accept a hunt, like Alexia's to hunt down Akasha and Elena, they literally cannot prevent themselves from finishing it."

"Why?" I growled in frustration, this made no sense. I was sure Dana had a reason for being like this, but what was it?!.

"The first very _Sicarri _were cursed by a sect of Mages who were jealous of their power, once they vowed to killed someone, their lives were bound to their promise."

"You mean..."

"Bella if a _Sicarri _pledges to hunt someone, they _have_ to fulfil their vow even if they wish to change their mind, because otherwise. The binding stone, the source of this curse, left by the Mage, claims their lives" She shifted in her seat, a strange glint in her eye caught my attention, only then did I realise that Dana had just provided me with an intentional way to stop Alexia. If I went to Volterra, if I bought me and my family enough time to find this binding stone, then maybe we could destroy it. All that was left then was too sooth Alexia's age long hatred.

"Yesterday when Alexia was holding Ashley. I could've sworn she was smiling, like all her cares in the world has just flown out the window" I couldn't believe the words coming out of my mouth, I couldn't believe that I was actually thinking about this. Did I want my daughter bound to a woman I'd seen to be a sadistic bitch?.

"I'll check for the mating mark when I go back to Volterra. This might actually work if everything plays out our way" Dana nodded to herself.

"You'd change sides so easily?" I titled my head.

"No. Alexia is my _Prima, _I want her to be happy. If Ashley is her mate, then maybe she will calm down enough to see sense about this, after all Akasha was just defending her mate like Alexia will now feel inclined to do. I'm doing this for Lex just as much as I'm doing it for our parents" Dana enforced.

"So we work together?" I stared at my sister, my gaze unwavering.

"This is such a fucking long shot" Dana muttered as she met my gaze.

"But its all we've got" I murmured.

"That it is little sister, that it is"

**TBC. . . **

**AN: Again, sorry about the lengthy delay. I promise I will never make you guys wait this long for an update _ever _again, even if it kills me. Now if you'll excuse me, I have an English paper due in tomorrow and I haven't even made a start, joy, but on a lighter note what did you guys think?. **


	40. Chapter 40

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything associated with the movies or the books, the only things I do take credit for are Ocs and mistakes ;p

**Chapter Forty, Alexia's POV.**

"_Lex..."_

_My eyes, darker that onyx and colder than ice, flew open in response to the lilting feminine voice I could hear above me. I felt a soft frown begin to tug the perfect slashes of my pale eyebrows downward as I took in the deep blue sky overhead. The last thing I could recall was making the final preparations for my hunt along the York Moors, and I certainly hadn't gone to sleep outside. Hell I couldn't even remember the last time I slept, period. It wasn't a necessity for me and mine, like emotion, but simply because it was, overall, a useless thing, that didn't mean we weren't capable of it._

"_...Lexi" I started to push myself up onto my elbows, searching the dense forest surrounding me for as far as the eye could see, the scent of rich vegetation was thick on the air, along with something else, something I was sure I'd never get the chance to really indulge in again. A mixture of amber bathing oils and crushed rose petals. I would know that intoxicating fragrance even if I were surrounded by an ocean of wild aromas, the unique perfume called out to the jaded muscle in my chest and made it clench, like a barbed band of agonising tightness. The urge to clutch at the ancient wound was so powerful, but I knew from past experience, praying for the wrenching pain searing a destructive path outward from the core of my being, until it felt like every inch of my body was being torn apart, would be of no use. There was only one person who could make me feel like this. One person who had always held a reserved spot in my heart._

"_Jodie..." My usually hypnotic tone was hoarse, like I'd been shouting as loud as I possibly could for hours on end. Suddenly there was a pale hand, gently pressing on my chest, directly over my steadily beating heart, unlike a vampire's, they were a created subspecies and dissimilar the Fae, they were a species content with polluting their own bloodlines in the name of something that doesn't exist, at least, not in the long run. The Sicarri are born, we are what we are meant to be, we do exactly what we were designed to do with no qualms or hesitation, and we are proud of it._

"_I was beginning to think you'd never awaken" An amused Jodelle drawled, the sound of her voice was pleasant to my ears, it soothed the hurt thrumming through my veins like the antidote to a potent poison, but it wasn't the celestial song I recalled from the vast halls of memory._

_Had she always been laying there, on the forest floor, beside me?. Why hadn't I noticed, like I always had before?. Why didn't her warmth beckon to me any longer?. Why did I feel the sudden urge to pull away from her as she snuggled close?._

_I stiffened instinctively as her long legs entwined with my longer limbs, her right arm snaked across my slim waist, her long slender fingers began to draw casual circles over my black silk shirt as she nuzzled her face into the crook of my graceful neck. There was a time I would've slaughtered thousands in a single hunt and burned entire nations to the ground with a sadistic smirk adorning my hauntingly beautiful face in order to feel her sinfully voluptuous body pressed into my own, far lither, form. Even now the feel of my childhood friend close, by my side, filling her rightful place where she should have always resided was enough to inspire warmth to pool within me. But it wasn't as powerful as I could remember. This sensation vibrating within me, taking it's own sweet time in thawing the layers of black ice fortifying the frozen organ that only sustained me if I chose, it was affection, of that, I was sure. But why wasn't it as all consuming as I was accustomed to?. This was Jodelle, the Sicarri female, I had devoted over seven thousand years of my life, ninety percent of my entire existence, to avenge. So why couldn't I locate the emotion that had inspired my swift promise to eradicate every living, breathing Fae on Earth?. _

"_How can I awaken?, when this is nothing more than a dream" I murmured, turning my gaze away from the vibrant blue sky, accented by a portrait of long vivid green tree limbs and leaves that danced in the breeze. I focused on the other Sicarri just as she lifted her head to return my inquisitive look. Her eyes were the same, rich honey with flecks of hazel brown, countless times I've found myself drawn into her uniquely coloured irises, truly one of a kind among the entire nation._

"_But it is a good dream, is it not?..." Jodelle cocked her head, just like she used to when we were young children and something far off in the distance caught her attention. The fall of her long dark silky hair drifted over one compact shoulder. I cast my eyes elsewhere, honing in on the sounds of an eagle soaring freely several dozen metres away, it seemed to be the only other living creature in this realistic 'vision'._

"_...Though I cannot help but wonder why we are out here and not in the Kardía" Jodelle continued, scanning the forest with an analytical eye. It was like being punched in the gut, it came back to me with the force of a freight train bent on breaking me in half. I recognised this place. We were close to the Kardía, or the main City where all the Great Houses and most of the distinguished populace dwelt. There was the odd settlement spread out all over Home Front, but there were never many at any one time, it was too dangerous. But this specific area, exactly two hundred and forty eight point three kilometres North East of our Capital City, and several dozen yards further West. _

"_Surely you would rather remember me as I was, and not how I...met my end" I sat up quickly, leaving my companion no choice but to disentangle herself from my considerably more svelte and taller frame with a disgruntled sigh, like a kitten pulled away from her plush pillow. I didn't pay any attention to Jodelle as I shifted into a crouch with a grace unachievable to any moral, or supposed immortal for that matter, glancing down I discovered my feet were bare. I barely felt the varyingly sharp foliage pressing into my impenetrable magnolia pale skin as I straightened to my full impressive height, instantly gliding to the right, following a nonexistent path carved from memory. The last time I came this way, I was hardly more than a fledgling, I had only just earned the right to be considered an active member of the Sicarri. I'd sprinted here as fast as my incredible abilities had allowed, swifter than light could travel if I sincerely wished for it to be so._

"_Why taint the memories I had of you, by taking your own life here?" I whispered, acutely aware the other Sicarri close behind me as I stalked towards our gloriously reverberant Glade. It had been our retreat from real life, mine Jodelle's and Akasha's, until the latter had destroyed the one person I cared about above all others. When things became too much, when the expectations grew too hard to fill, I could always rely on my two closest friends to ease the heavy burden. They had been my lifelines, the only things keeping me remotely compassionate in an otherwise bleak and violent existence. _

"_Because I wanted to be in the one place that we all had a strong connection to..." Jodelle's response was drowned out by the wave of lightheadedness that smashed into me, like a violent current crashes into a cliff face, with only one intention, to completely destroy. Only sheer determination prevented me from sinking to my knees on the sun-warmed grass beneath my bare feet when I finally swept aside a low hanging branch to reveal our Glade. The rotten scent of death penetrated the lulling richness of the forest around me._

_Rage ignited in the pit of my stomach as I remembered it all. Sensing the presence of my oldest friend, bounding through the thicket expecting to find Jodelle merely admiring the various breeds of plant life as I'd known her to do when things were exceptionally quiet in the Kardía, instead I had come across her still-warm body, sprawled out on the ground next to a troupe of her favourite flowers. I was the fastest creature on Earth and I still couldn't reach her in time to stop her. I know I could have, if I had only moved a little faster, pushed myself harder but instead I had my heart ripped from my chest, a wound that only grew deeper when I discovered the reason why Jodelle had lacked the will to continue on with life. Akasha. _

"_I wanted to remember when it was just the three of us..." I felt her sidle towards me as I lingered on the outskirts of our Glade, in the same spot I had stood all those thousands of years ago, tilting my head downward, I uncovered a small sad smile playing at the corner of her full mouth. Pain shot out, like a flurry of lightning, setting my venom ablaze until all I felt was my ever present need for revenge._

"_It was the three of us against the world, until that little bitch came along and ruined us..." Her eyes glowed brightly with unshed tears even as her melodic voice adopted a hard edge, I smiled despite myself, out of every hunter the Sicarri ranks boasted, I had never been more compatible with any of them than I was with Jodelle. The small number of minor practise hunts we had participated in together were some of my most dear retentions, but it was no longer at the forefront of my mind. Unbidden, a pair of neon blue eyes flashed before my line of sight, the feel of a fragile body filling my lithe arms, the instinctive need to protect burned just as brightly as my need for vengeance._

"_The world was there for us to play with, the future was ours to mould how we saw fit. Nothing would've gotten in our way..." I tensed, ready to give chase when the stunning blue eyes fled from me, until I felt Jodelle's hand on my arm, gripping my strong bicep in a firm hold that demanded my full attention._

"_Akasha's betrayal was so painful, I could hardly form words when I discovered her with that human. It felt like a jagged sword through my heart..." I sought out the pair of blue eyes again, I could remember the angelic face of the child to whom they belonged. Nothing had ever seemed to delicate to me or more important. Nothing. An arrow of sheer agony shoved its way through my head, I couldn't stifle my hiss as I lifted my left hand up to pinch the bridge of my nose, hoping to dull the shards of sharp piercing pain driving the notion away. I removed my hand after the pain had lessened somewhat, a fierce throbbing racking my temples remained, I studied my thumb and index finger, finding the tips of my long slender digits slick with a thick clear substance that gleamed under the bright sun. Darting my tongue out, I sampled the liquid briefly. Venom, my venom._

"_But then you swore to avenge me even as your Custodia begged you, to take a moment to fully consider the consequences of such a promise such as that one..." I inhaled deeply when she reached up to cup my oval shaped jaw in her soft hand, suddenly all I could focus on was her strikingly coloured eyes, a mixture of gilded gold, deep brown, and rich hazel, like mixed hues of Autumn. They were just as beautiful as they had always been, but I longed for another colour. _

"_You devoted your life to revenge in my stead, even though I never gave you what I always knew you wanted from me in life..." I was lost in those eyes, my escape route was clear behind me, but I didn't really desire a retreat. Jodelle had always represented safety, a port in a storm. Dream or no, she still had a hold on me, and I wasn't willing to break it, not when it was the only thing I had left of her._

"_Never lose sight of your goal Lexi, you're the only one who can gain retribution for what Akasha and her so-called mate have done to us. When the time comes, promise me you won't hesitate" _

"_Ypóschesi" I murmured easily in our mother tongue, her elated smile was the last thing I saw before my dream world began to dissolve, like ripples through water, with one certainty that my resolve to fulfil my vow had never been stronger._

**Dana's POV.**

"...Last call 'fore closin' time!" The stout and swarthy bartender called out, his gruff tone easily travelled over the low music filling the crappy little bar I was still occupying with my mate, little sister and her adoptive siblings.

Not exactly my usual haunt, in fact I probably never would have even considered stepping foot in a place like this if I hadn't thought it would assist in smoothing things over with the reminiscing brunette across the small table. With my back to the corner and the bantam space between us there wasn't much chance of our conversations being overheard by the moderate amount of humans bustling around the bar. A good portion of Fork's population had all crammed themselves into _Mo's _at about eight o'clock, a few hours after my little sister had showed up. It was far too crowded for my liking, I had grown accustomed to wide open spaces, but stepping outside my comfort zone to finally meet Bella had been worth it, more than worth it.

"I'd almost forgotten what this stuff tastes like" Bella murmured after downing a shot of tequila and replacing the drained glass next to its group of friends, gathered next to the wall along with several empty beer bottles and six tumblers of whiskey on the rocks, produced by my favourite man in the whole world Jim Beam, only liquid left in the glasses was a tiny measure of water from the melted ice.

"I can tell _Soror..." _I purred sarcastically, speaking a term of endearment for 'Sister' in my native tongue. The build up of glasses was no doubt a result of the heavy crowd and, there being only three waitress's and two bartenders on the clock. Running a quick mental summary, I'd confidently guess that the younger Fae had more or less sampled every drink known to man, including cocktails, in the few hours we'd been sharing stories and experiences at the bar. I hadn't intended for this meeting to last quite as long as it had, honestly my expectations regarding little sister's responses to my proposals had been lower that the underground crypts back home, luckily we seemed to have found common ground after outlining our future plans. It was fortunate I'd given in and agreed for Soren to come with me, or else I'd have an extremely annoyed _Sicarri _on my hands, neither of us dealt well with being separated for extended periods of time, though the whole appeal of irritating my mate in whatever capacity, when available, was 'calming' her down.

"...Are you on a one woman mission to drain the world of booze or what?" I rolled my neon blue eyes slowly, scanning the open-planned bar, adding another notch to the countless amount of times I had already examined the crowd. I could tell the profession of every human in this place by the scents falling off them, fishermen, Barista's, manual labourers, they had the unique elements of their occupations clinging to them like a second skin.

"The thrill will wear off soon" Bella assured me as she leaned back in her basic wooden chair and stretching a little, it was needless gesture, but I could see the practicality in it. Given the good deal time we'd spent at the bar, fidgeting, feigning cramps and occasionally heading to the bathroom prevented any curious humans from asking any internal questions and drawing any undue attention. Our ethereal gait and striking beauty drew too many eyes as it was without adding any abnormal traits to the mix, to say nothing of my accent, early while getting my alcoholic of a sister another drink, I'd passed one of the good 'ol boys from the Sheriff's department sitting at the worn oak bar, within seconds I'd had a number of aggressively put questions shoved down my throat. The human cop had been lucky, his unimpressive instincts had forced him into silence when Soren had sidled up behind me, her protective growls may have been on a frequency only other supernaturals could ever hope to detect, but that didn't stop the human from blanching like a frightened lamb before an enraged lioness after one glance at her darker than dark eyes.

"Sure it will..." I murmur quietly, too softly for her to possibly detect even with the hawk-like hearing common to our kind. I knew without a doubt what she was trying to do, or more accurately, what she was attempting to avoid. Guess I'd probably be thinking along similar lines if our current positions were reversed.

"...We'd best start to think about going our separate ways" I encircled the width of my cold tumbler with my long slender fingers, lifting the half full glass to my full pink lips, I drained the potent bourbon in a single swig. Replacing the glass on the worn table top, I trailed my neon blue eyes over the slumped form of my sister, staring into nothing like she had a problem with it.

"The hell am I going to tell Rosalie?" My chest tightened as I crossed my arms beneath my ample chest, the utter misery in little sister's voice was semi familiar to me.

It was never easy telling one's mate something you knew they were going to hate, something that had the potential to hurt them, but the prospect of lying about the matter, even to spare their feelings, was like having a dull rusty knife shoved through your heart while someone with a two-by-four went to town on your midsection and head. Either way, you were in for a world of painful turmoil, be it emotional or mental. We Supernaturals just weren't designed to keep things secret from our mates, at least not things of such importance. Trust was paramount in our matings more so than any human relationship, the dangers in our world demanded it. Part of being someone's soulmate was always being there, ready to support or comfort them in any way, when you found them, it instantly became your primary function, your first thought was their safety and happiness and every judgement you made from then on was focused on maintaining it. Nothing else mattered because they were the most essential aspect of your life, without them, everything else was meaningless. It was like you spent your whole life living in black and grey, but then you find the one, and you're suddenly seeing in HD.

Instinct had certainly contributed to my decision to abandon my parents, but if Bella asked again, which I am sure she would, it had been a topic that had continued cropping back up all night. I would always stand by my single conclusive answer, my mother hated the _Sicarri, _mymate or not, Akasha would have tried to kill Soren the moment the truth about my matrimonial status had come out. Leaving my parents, and the small number of Fae that had formed their nest, behind had spared them watching their child walk away from them. Something I knew was more excruciating than being burned alive and having your limbs severed one by one. If I had stayed with them, one of the people I loved dearly would've died, killed by the other. It was a bitch move, letting Akasha and Elena think I was dead all these centuries, I freely admitted that, but my only intention had been to keep them safe and to be with the woman I loved. It was one of the most difficult decisions I had ever made, but given the chance I would take the same road again and again, I wouldn't trade all the euphoric years I'd spent with Soren if my life depended on it. She was my other half and I would not allow anyone to come between us. For that reason I would always owe Alexia more than I could ever repay for defending my union with my mate when the rest of the _Sicarri _would have quite happily seen me ripped to shreds and an even more painful sentence executed on Soren for daring to bring a Fae into the fold with the intention of imbuing her noble bloodline with my own.

Bella didn't truly understand my motives for any of this, I was certain of that. If anything she probably thought I was brainwashed, or just an absolute bitch willing to betray those that bore her for a hard fuck beneath the sheets, or against any available surface for that matter. But it wasn't like that at all, my loyalties had shifted somewhat, but that didn't mean I was going to sit around idle while Alexia closed in on my parents, like a fox carefully weeding out a rabbit from it's burrow. I would do everything I could to make sure they all stayed safe, it was the reason I'd told Bella about the Binding stone. Hopefully little sister could track it down, it was a pretty big 'if' though, I'd only heard of minor references to the source itself, but nothing in depth enough to really assist the younger Fae. I hated shoving this onto her shoulders, it was the last thing she needed with two newborns, not to mention that her daughter was mated to arguably the most ruthless Supernatural being to have walked the Earth. Knowing that I couldn't help any further was unbelievably frustrating, like trying to solve an impossible puzzle when the timer was running out, but it was the only lifeline I had to offer. I would provide her with further assistance where I could, help her when I could, but I had other priorities to include. Alexia was my _Prima, _I had to ensure that when the day arrived, no one would stand in the way of the Alphaclaiming her mate, it was the least I could do when she had done the same for me and mine. As always my loyalties were divided. And I despised it.

"In the best case scenario, truth has a funny way of always managing to cause friction, no matter what you do, or how you reveal it..." I spoke slowly, sluggishly dragging myself free of my thoughts as I watched as Bella's darkening blue eyes latched onto me. I tilted my head, feeling a wave of admiration warm my chest, though little sister was merely a century in age, she handled the situations thrown at her with a maturity I knew I hadn't possessed when I was her age. Still, she shouldn't have to deal with the storm heading her way, she should be enjoying life with her mate and their children, not wondering if the Reaper was going to come knocking at any moment.

"...To say this knowledge is going to cause Rosalie distress has to be considered the understatement of the entire millennia. And who can blame her?. But all you can do, as her mate, is be there giving her what only you can. As clichéd as it seems, the best thing you can do is speak the truth and remind her that you face this together, like you will confront every other obstacle in life"

I noticed the throng of humans beginning to make their way towards the front door of the bar, the waitress' were beginning to collect all the dirty glasses, from the looks in their eyes and the beats of their hearts I could sense their weariness from the night's work. I gracefully climbed to my feet, shooting the bartender an icy stare as his distastefully lubricious gaze instantly dropped to my bared legs. My attire had seemed appropriate when I'd donned it earlier in the day, black short silk pencil skirt that ended at the middle of my pale toned thighs, a black long sleeved blouse was tucked into the waistband with the top three buttons left undone to display my generous cleavage, complemented by a pair of open-toed bronze coloured three inch heels that showed off my slender ankles. Maybe, for a town this small, I should've chosen something more conservative, judging from the lustful eyes clinging to me, like slime on my bare skin, from all directions, even the waitress' were casting curious blushing looks my way.

"Would you like me to rip out his eyes love?. I'm sure I can find a something around here to display them on for you" I felt Soren begin to glide over from the almost desolate pool tables long before she was actually embracing me from behind, snaking her lithe arms possessively around my hour-glass of a waist, the low growl filling my ear as she rested her chin on my slender should made me shudder in response. I leaned back into her sinfully carved body, savouring the warm safety she provided, as Bella clambered to her feet at the opposite end of the table.

"That will not be necessary today..." I cocked my head to look up at my taller mate, the short bartender was lucky looks couldn't kill, not only would he be popping daisies from the viciously cold glare he was receiving from Soren, I'm one hundred percent certain his grave would be covered in thick layers of ice and snow. There'd probably be a dog or two pissing on it as well..

"...Besides, the night is still young and baring in mind where your hands are going to be later I don't particularly want you touching things that I'm sure just crawled out of a gutter" I nipped at the aristocratic curve of her high cheekbone playfully, scraping her perfectly soft flesh with my teeth, successfully drawing my mate's attention away from the leering bartender with the greatest of ease.

"Not to mention a scene is the last thing we need right about now" I inclined my head, acknowledging the point as it fell from the lips of Alice Cullen, the petite vampire and her tall shifter joined us with easy expressions.

"Actually I love drama, and I'm sure I could track down antibacterial wash from somewhere" Soren drawled with a dark smirk. Across the bar, I watched, bemused, as the bartender caught one simple glance of my mate's dangerously narrowed eyes and began scamper toward the kitchen so swiftly it wasn't hard to envisage the Grim Reaper chasing after him sharpened scythe in skeletal hand.

"There is a convenience store just down the street..." Leah Clearwater pointed out helpfully, to some. "...Probably shouldn't have mentioned that huh?" The female shifter murmured sheepishly after catching the calculating gleam in my mate's dark eyes, I shot the Quileute an amused yet chiding glance, to which she just shrugged in answer, before I began pressing tiny kisses to the strong curve of Soren's jaw. Had we been newly mated, my fiercely beautiful mate would have already shredded the human into bite size pieces for the sheer audacity of looking at me below my face, thankfully I knew how to calm my _Sicarri_. I never favoured violence, even when it became a necessity for survival.

"Lets get out of here..." My attention was snagged on the unmistakable note of command in little sister's melodic voice, I rested my hands atop my mate's forearms as she tightened her soothing hold on me, feeling nothing but solid strength beneath my fingertips as I analysed the younger Fae. The prospect of confronting Rosalie with her new found information still seemed to be causing her nothing short of inner upheaval, that I could see it in her dark eyes, irises cast into an inky blackness by the concern surfing through her veins and driving the rest of her insane.

"Lead the way _Soror" _My mate wrapped her lithe arm tightly around my shoulders, allowing me the chance to snuggle into her side as we followed after Bella, heading toward the bar's exit, Leah and Alice held hands as they trailed after us. The night air was bitter cold, I noted as we stepped out from the warmth, not that it truly held any kind of impact on us, the five of us were almost alone on the street beneath the gleaming silvery stars overhead. This little soiree had indeed lasted far longer than I had thought it would.

"Leah, you'd better go and shift, I'll meet you two at the forest edge in a second" Bella turned on her heel to speak to her adoptive siblings, her melancholic tone would only be lifted when she had assured herself that the news of Ashley's mating would not utterly devastate her mate. Despite the fact, it didn't stop me from attempting to give a little assurance while Leah and Alice stalked away from us.

"Remember what I told you, and it'll be fine..." I moved slightly, ignoring the disgruntled growl leaving Soren's full red lips at having our physical connection broken off momentarily, I couldn't say I was comfortable out the protective circle of her arms, like a fish out of water, I was meant to be held in my _Sicarri's _deceptively powerful arms.

"...Severely belated first hug?" I poured as much coltishness as I could muster into the melodic tone of my voice, hoping to gain something akin to a smile from little sister. No such luck, but I did get my hug. Bella's strong arms snaked around my waist so tightly I knew she'd probably snap a human in half with ease, I wasn't about to complain though, even as a sharp twist of blunted pain shot up my spine. Returning the tight embrace, I tentatively held the younger Fae close, inhaling the Freesia and jasmine scent billowing off of her granite hard skin. It was surreal but comfortable, to feel someone other than Soren against me and to catch my familial scent originating from someone other than myself.

"What should I..." I stepped back into my mate's arms after being released from those of little sister, leaning back into my mate's luscious body as I waited for Bella to continue.

"What do I tell our parents?" The wind decided to pick up a little as she spoke. Soren snaked her arms around my waist, drawing me in impossibly closer to her warmth as she nuzzled my bared neck.

"I know a confrontation is inevitable..." I murmured softly, watching the younger Fae's dark eyes flash with knowing.

"...Tell them what you want, because nothing is going to change that. But, before you do, give it some serious thought, because if you chose to tell them I'm alive, they're going to come looking for me. And considering I'm going back to Volterra, where Alexia and her nest-mates are, it wouldn't be the safest option."

"Not to mention if I don't tell them, you get to cook up some pretty words to feed them" Bella leaned one shoulder against a nearby street light, arching her left mahogany coloured eyebrow quizzically.

"I'm not saying I don't need some time to prepare myself for the onslaught of maternal instincts..." I reached behind me to rest my right palm on the cool leather encasing Soren's toned thigh, the soft purr that rumbled to life somewhere in between my mate's chest and throat coaxed a loving smile to paint itself across my lips.

"...But you know my point is as valid as they come, given that we're trying to avoid as much violence as we can"

"Fair enough..." Bella nodded slightly, glancing down the street, in the direction that Alice and Leah had disappeared from sight.

"...Don't suppose you know where I can start looking for this Stone-thing?" She asked, glancing curiously between me and Soren.

"In the ancient texts the Binding Stone is referred to as the _Áthrafstos, _it my native language it means 'unbreakable'..." My _Sicarri_ explained slowly.

"Sounds promising" Bella muttered, her voice edged with bitter sarcasm as she returned her attention to us.

"...That isn't the best bit. I was born in the eighth era, recordings of the stone halted in the forth, to the best of my knowledge, there are only two _Sicarri _who could possibly know, for certain, where it is today"

"Let me guess, Miss merry ray of sunshine and her redheaded sidekick?" Bella muttered with a roll of her dark eyes.

"Alexia is one, the other hasn't been seen for the better part of seven thousand years. Not even the _Prime_ is privy to the information" Soren answered regretfully.

"Its official, fate is trying to fuck me in the ass" Bella grumbled, lifting her hand to rub her eyes wearily.

"Nice image _Soror" _ I drawled sardonically, hoping to relieve the heavy tension suddenly staining the air.

"I'm so glad you can still be genuinely sarcastic right now..." She retorted with an acerbic smirk aimed in my direction.

"...On an even darker note. That 'unbreakable' stone-thing, however you pronounce it's name, isn't gonna find itself. So I guess I'll being seeing you two around" Pushing herself off the street light, Bella stuffed her pale hands into the front pockets of her leather jacket as she sidled down the desolate street, forgoing the side-walk entirely and stepping out into the middle of the road.

"By the way, when exactly should I expect to be summoned by her homicidal highness?" Little sister didn't glance over her shoulder as she continued to walk away and she didn't need to raise her voice in order for us to hear over the sounds of her boot heels connecting with the cracked asphalt paving the narrow road.

"A day, two at the latest" I spoke as though she were standing in front of me instead of twenty yards away, it was an unvoiced precaution between us, I could tell from the choir of differentiating heartbeats there were a few humans awake inside their modestly build houses surrounding us and it wouldn't do for them to overhear our conversation. Curiosity killed the cat after all.

"Fantastic, that gives yours truly freaking loads of time to get ready."

**Alexia's POV.**

"...Please!, I have a son!" The frightened cry echoed obnoxiously loud in my ears. I couldn't help but roll my cold dark eyes as my strong oval shaped jaw clenched with irritation.

"Are there rules against creativity in these situations?..." I drawled, my full red lips lifted into a mocking smirk as I stared up at soon to be dead Mage, suspended a full twelve inches above the marble floor, begging me for his life. Tilting my head, like a quizzical lioness that couldn't quite grasp why the helpless antelope, held immobile between her lethal claws, would possibly be screaming desperately. I tightened my long slender fingers around my target's blotchy throat. Studying the unnamed Mage's eyes bulge from the diminishing supply of oxygen, a little more pressure on his trachea would see this idiot into Hades' tender embrace.

"...That has to be the oldest line in the book, and I should know, I was around when a cult of snivelling fools wrote the damned thing. Distant ancestors of yours maybe?" I arched a silvery pale eyebrow sardonically, watching with satisfaction as the diplomat's dull green irises began to water, his lower lip quivered, the butter-soft hands frantically clutching at my wrist tightened.

"Please...let me go. I-I have done, nothing to o-offend you..." My fangs lanced down into my mouth, peeling my sculpted upper lip away from the deadly incisors, I allowed a cold growl to rumble forth from my chest. Effortlessly I suddenly flung the Mage away from me. Deliberately using enough force to ensure the fall would feel like a sledgehammer being driven into every available inch of his podgy body, but not enough to call forth unconsciousness. His limp body sailed through the stagnant air like a wet cloth, debris crumbled from the polished stone forming the entire chamber as he crashed into the wall. I heard myself chuckle darkly as he landed in a heap surrounded by finely edged ceramics. The resulting cloud of dust wafting up into the air was accompanied by the sweet scent of potent fear and agony.

"The existence of your pitifully fragile species 'offends' me..." I snarled stalking across the assembly chamber, stepping over the bodies of other dead council members, given my track record, their 'expiries' had been merciful, a quick snap of the neck, the odd asphyxiation. Done and dusted. And the whimpering pinhead across the way would soon be joining his kin.

"But overlooking that fact. I have no individualised dispute with you, just your sect of spineless conjurers. Your kind gets off on cursing your victims from afar, you never get your hands dirty, you never give them a chance to fight back. No, because that would mean some actual fucking work, instead you smile and you flatter, then when their backs are turned, you slip a knife up between their ribs..." I pushed a hefty piece of stone off the Mage's unimpressive chest with my right foot, by my accurate estimation it would take over thirty humans to move it a mere inch, my hypnotic voice overshadowed the wet choking sounds stuttering out of his bloodied mouth.

"Anyone can say just about anything when it comes to _Sicarri _methodology, but at least we give our victims a chance, we look them in their eyes and we watch the life drain from them. Your kind, are cowards, plain and simple..." I pressed the sole of my black combat boot directly into his windpipe, robbing him of air. Instantly his hands, without the knowledge of a single day's work, began grasping my ankle. The scent of fear grew thick around me, combined with the fresh fragrance of blood. It was a well known fact in my world, Mages thought of themselves as Gods, in reality, all they are, is a select group of humans born with longevity and access to spell books.

"Madame DeWynter sends her eternal regards and assurances that your wife and son will find her to be a benevolent patron..." I recited the message my client had requested I relay to the floundering Mage slowly being dragged towards his demise beneath my boot.

"Of course that probably means your wife will end up in her bed and your son will start calling her 'mommy' before the month is out, but at least they'll be thoroughly satisfied and cared for. That is your concern, is it not?" True fright stared up at me, incoherent pleas were screeched, the sound of his heartbeat thudded loudly, like the roar of thunder. Lifting my boot, I drove my foot down into his cranium, listening to the sickening crack as it rose up to greet my ears, I didn't wait for his blood to begin seeping from the wide wound wending its way from his frontal bone back to his optical bone.

Turning on my heel, I cast a glance around the circular parliamentary chamber. It was scarcely furnished. During my 'abbreviated stay' the tables were overturned, the official documents my targets had been working on before my unannounced arrival were scattered across the chromatic room. I crossed my arms beneath my ample breasts as I spent a moment observing the still-warm corpses. I glared when a pair of neon blue eyes abruptly flashed in front of me, gleaming brightly with disappointment, my onyx dark irises narrowed further, in spite of the tightness that gripped my chest in an unforgiving hand.

Exhaling slowly, I gracefully bounded toward the exit, I'd barred it tightly on my way inside to avoid the rats trying to slink off into the night. Instead of taking the time to remove all the magically strengthened locks, I simply shoved the doors with my hand. The titanium threshold burst open like a pair of matchsticks blowing in the wind, slamming into the stone walls behind them with a resounding clang. I ran down the wide hall, taking a sharp right, I bolted up seventeen flights of stairs, reaching the top in a full nanosecond. I found the air was cold and general temperature in the York Moors even colder. I kept on running, faster than any supernatural eye could ever see, the bitter wind tore at me, my long silvery blonde braid billowed behind me. The world was blur of fiery colour from the early morning sun overhead as I moved, heading South faster than a speeding bullet. It didn't even take me a handful of minutes to reach the underground train station, the rail lines extended from Britain, my current location, to France, where my client resided.

Of course I hand no intention of catching the train, it would require far too much time to reach my destination and being crowded by dozens of humans wasn't an appealing notion. Every human I passed appeared to be nothing more than a statue, frozen in time as I ran, my sleek muscles weren't being exerted in the slightest. I only had to dodge a single train as I elegantly bounded through the underground tunnel. Scents shifted, the temperature grew slighter warmer as I emerged on the other side. Skilfully I weaved my way between the flawed human sculptures, going about their daily routines, running through streets and towns until, I found myself sprinting passed the Notre Dame in Paris, finally I reached a Night club, the scent of supernatural creatures was thick on the air as I gilded passed the bulky security guards at the entranceway. I found Madame DeWynter perched at a square table in the middle of the glaciated club, surrounded, unsurprisingly, by half a dozen blatantly aroused water nymphs. I'd filled the chair opposite my client before anyone within the club even had a chance to blink.

"_Mon Dieu!..._" DeWynter exclaimed loud enough to draw the attention of every member of security in the place. I smirked slowly, leaning back in the less than comfortable chair.

"...I will never get used to you just popping out of fucking nowhere" She clasped her hands together over her heart dramatically. I pursed my lips in contempt.

"Yeah the knowledge that I could turn this place into a graveyard before any of your little lapdogs could even catch a glimpse of me is probably an interesting sensation" I drawled.

"Everything okay here Madame?" _Speaking of lapdogs, _I felt one of the bigger idiots 'creep' up behind me. Because the sound of his heavy breathing and even more noticeable footsteps were just so subtle, really I am shocked out of my wits. My hands tightened into fists, if he placed one of his 'paws' on my shoulder, left partially bare by my tight black tank top, I am going to rip his chopstick off and shove it down his throat before I get real imaginative.

"This is a private conversation mutt, now fuck off before I turn you into mince meat" I growled low in my throat, the dumbass behind me obviously lacked the intelligence to sense a superior being when he was near one.

"I'm not sure I like your tone" Stupid. Son. Of. A. Bitch. I flashed out of my seat, grabbed the hand that almost landed on my lithe shoulder and twisted violently, his bones didn't just break, they contorted to the point I expected his hand to come clean off with a little more pressure. The resounding screech that left his thin lips echoed over the music flowing through the club from various speakers.

"And I don't like your stench, come to think of it..." I grabbed his neck in my free hand "...I don't like the fact you're breathing all over me" I snapped his neck, shoving his now limp body off to the side, I sat back down as the corpse collapsed to the floor. Several frightened screams flooded the club as I cracked my knuckles.

"I warned him" I shrugged carelessly, across the table I saw a hint of a smirk cross over DeWynter's classically beautiful face.

"That you did..." She nodded, her violet eyes drifted half shut, a new shade of arousal filled my aristocratically sculpted nostrils.

"...Have you sampled my new merchandise yet?. Given your impressive abilities I think it is a valid question" DeWynter purred, suggestively stroking the arm of a blonde water nymph lingering to her right.

"Too fragile for my taste" I decided from the looks of sheer wonderment, cold fear and molten lust being aimed at me from the six attractive women surrounding my temporary hostess.

"Pity, I always did like watching you 'indulge'" She smirked, releasing her 'merchandise' with a regretful sigh.

"Get to the point DeWynter" I snapped. The sooner this mess was dealt with, the sooner I could return to Volterra. I had to judge whether or not Peyral was worth the effort of sustaining any further, hopefully, Lyssandra and Jax have had better luck training my brother than I ever have. He was quickly running out of time and my patience had vanished like water in a drought. If he refused to utilise the opportunity I was lining up for him. If he showed no interest in his own self-preservation. Then I would personally end the life he cared so little about. I have given him enough chances. His 'results', or lack thereof, weren't just disappointing, they were embarrassing. Time and time again, I've done what I could to help him. There was nothing else, no other option. The traditions, I would one day be officially entrusted with safeguarding and upholding, clearly stated that a _Sicarri _unwilling or unable to hunt was to be put down. I am the only reason Peyral hadn't been torn apart after his first fuck up.

"As you wish. Half a million has been safely wired to your personal Swiss bank account as per your orders" She inclined her head.

"Fourteen dead Mages, the elections should play out the way you desire." I gracefully climbed to my feet. As far as I'm concerned my business with dark haired woman was finished. For now. She always had more work that required _Sicarri _intervention.

"You think I wanted them dead just so I could win the elections?" DeWynter arched an eyebrow quizzically.

"I don't care why you gave me the contract DeWynter..." I placed my hands flat on the table and leaned in close, watching her pupils dilate with arousal and more than a little fear. My fangs punched into my mouth, aggression and suspicion poured into my veins.

"...Just don't try to screw me over, because if I have to come back here in the near future, I'll slaughter everyone in this place and I'll strangle you with your own entrails"

"I believe you. I just think you should know, the Mages you killed today, they all had a long history of child abuse, drug trafficking-"

"Because you're so squeaky clean" I sneered scornfully.

"I don't force my girls to do anything they don't want, and I sure as hell don't stand for the mother fuckers that would hurt them. Lance here..." She nudged the security guard, I'd just killed, with one of her open-toed heels.

"...Well lets just say beating women half his size made him feel all manly and shit. If you hadn't killed him, he'd still end up filling a hole in the ground. Gaston, your main target at the parliament tonight, he used to...do..._'things'_...to his son"

"Its nice to know I didn't kill over a dozen Mages just so you could get a leg over podgy's wife" I smirked dismissively before turning on my boot heel, cautious eyes 'discreetly' watched me fearfully from all directions as I stalked through the club, those in my way were pretty damn quick to get out of my path. Sleek muscles shifted beneath black leather, my careless smirk didn't falter once, even as I stepped back outside, I made it down the street and into a secluded parking lot before that pair of neon blue eyes appeared again. I froze suddenly, studying the stunning hue, unbidden I began grazing my left thumb over the stretch of pale skin running from my right thumb knuckle to my wrist where the ancient glyph, proudly displaying my change in marital status, branded my flesh. A dejected pang struck me in the chest, with my side hunt complete, I had nothing to dominate the forefront of my thoughts. Nothing to stop my new primal instincts from running wild. Nothing to distract me from the undeniable fact; _I had a mate_. And I wasn't doing what I was supposed to. I wasn't with her, I wasn't protecting her or providing for her.

"Fuck..." I hissed, wincing as I lifted my right hand to cover the painful throbbing in my chest. A wave of dizziness consumed me, brought on by the sharp bolt of forlornness working it's way through the jaded organ hidden behind layers of black ice in my chest. I glanced down at the asphalt, realising that I had actually sunk down to my leather encased knees under the weight of invisible hands, my head swam with acute agony, excruciating anguish clouded my vision. I fully expected to find a pool of thick venom gathering around my kneeling form, because it sure as hell felt like there was a gaping hole in my damn chest.

**TBC. . .**

**AN: Okay so I know you all wanted to see how Rosalie would react to the 'colossal news' and I appreciate that this chapter is shorter than normal. But it suddenly occurred to me that this Fic isn't just steadily inching toward the end, I'm only seeing a couple more instalments left and I need to do some serious character building for my Ocs in preparation for the Sequel, hence the focus on Alexia and Dana, plus this just builds tension ****for the 'revelation'**** and everyone likes tension ;****)****.**


	41. Chapter 41

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything associated with the movies or the books, the only things I do take credit for are any Ocs and any mistakes ;p

**AN: Before you start reading I just want to say, thank you for all of your reviews, favourites and alerts, you guys are amazing. I know this update is long overdue, actually that is an understatement, but I apologise for the wait. **

**Chapter Forty One, Leah's POV.**

A small respondent hiss was ripped passed my lips as I shifted, silky white grey fur gave way to lightly bronzed skin sheathing sinewy muscle, a rush of potent energy sent tingles of awareness over my newly exposed flesh. But it wasn't the bitter cold Alaskan night that sent shivers shooting up and down my spine, after all I run a constant temperature of a hundred and eight degrees, it was the surreal feeling of my entire skeletal structure conforming to a new position, in the space of a few swift seconds. It has taken me, eighty five out of a hundred and nineteen years to grow accustomed to the indescribable sensation of shifting from human to wolf. The first change was agonising, like I was literally being torn to shreds over a drawn out time frame, and a part of me always wondered if that was because I was the first female shifter, but now, it was one of the most natural and easy things in the world to me, like flipping a coin between my two perfectly coinciding natures. The only thing in the world, more fulfilling to me than running as a wolf, being ruled by the simplistic intensity of instinct, was being with Alice.

A small contented smile began play at the corner of my mouth, transforming into a loving grin when I felt the sweet unmistakable softness of my imprint's delicate hand run a feather-light caress over my bare, sweat slick, shoulder. Blinking open my dark brown eyes, studying the silent forest around my crouched form, I momentarily mourned the loss of my gloriously heightened vision that I was gifted with as a wolf, until the delicious rush of heady warmth that raced across my flesh the second Alice stepped closer to me. The sound of snow compressing beneath her, admittedly very stunning, Manolo Blahniks, prompted me to rise up out of my crouch with a subdued groan as my muscles began to sing, from the burn of gratifying exertion and the satisfaction of being so close to my mate, without any other care in the world. It was perfection. Heaven on Earth.

"As much as I love having your fine ass on display for me, I really think you need to put some clothes on" I turn, barely taking a minor note of the thick, freezing snow melting beneath my feet, to stare down at my Pixie as she smiled brightly. My breath caught in the back of my throat, while I traced her exquisitely defined features, I was powerless to do anything else, not that I would ever wish to do anything else, other than be near my mate.

Subconsciously, I snaked my lithe arms around her tiny waist, dragging her into the strong circle of my embrace. Even with the hight difference, me being easily one and a half feet taller than her, we were still two pieces of the same whole fitting together. The warmth thrumming inside my chest made me feel unsteady, though I could confidently say I was addicted to this amazing sensation, I was addicted to her. Alice was the most important person in my life, she always would be, which was why I couldn't understand why in the hell Bella would walk us into a dangerous situation without some minor fucking warning.

"Is that what you really want?" I purred, my half smirk full of blatant suggestion that was impossible to miss. Her lilting laugh was like a melodious symphony to my ears, her cool hands were like silk against my biceps as she did her best to encircle my lightly muscled arms with her elegant hands.

"Babe, when we get married, I've already planned a few months on my private island where we can spend the entire time devoid of any clothes, designer or otherwise. But right now, I don't particularly want Bella accidentally getting a glimpse of you in all your naked glory. And you are glorious my little puppy, and sexy, and feisty, an-" I hurriedly bent at my knees for leverage, trailing my hands down Alice's back until I cupped the back of her toned, nylon clad thighs in my palms, and straightening to my full six-foot-four. Her adorable babbling ended in a shocked squeal as she tightly wrapped her legs around my slim waist, I grinned playfully as she linked her arms around my neck. A helpless sigh passed my lips as her full breasts flattened against mine, sending jolts of pure awareness across every fibre.

"You gotta stop with that 'puppy' crap, I'm a freaking wolf" The lean muscles forming my perfectly defined abdomen quivered while Alice subtly rubbed her centre against my hard navel, I couldn't resist kneading her firm backside as she leaned her forehead against mine. Her wide grin and sparkling golden eyes were simply mesmerising, was it any wonder I had actually taken a crash course in fashion, from Heidi, just to please her.

"A very naked 'freaking wolf'" Alice urged gently. Grumbling irritably in the back of my throat, I glanced over my mate's slender shoulders, noticing the perfect perch that came in the form of a snow blanketed boulder, reaching the top of my sinewy thighs. Easily stalking across the expanse of forest floor between me, my treasured bounty, and her temporary berth. I reverently set my mate atop the boulder, ensuring my hips remained firmly wedged between her splayed legs, catching Alice's breathing hitch softly.

"Kiss..." I coaxed smoothly. Her petite hands pressed into my shoulders, a smirk blossomed across my lips as she teasingly tilted her head away from me, denying my request with a husky laugh.

"...I'm not getting dressed until you kiss me baby, and believe me when I say I have grown used to walking around naked"

"Who the hell have you been flashing!" Alice suddenly dug her fingertips into my shoulders, pulling me close until our noses were touching as her blazing golden eyes darkened with instinctive jealousy.

I stole my kiss, just as a short growl began to resound in the back of Alice's throat. Her legs tightened around my waist as I brushed my lips gently across the seam of her mouth, her lips were so lusciously soft like the silken inside petals of a red rose. Soft, delighted, moans mingled as our lips danced together in a tender kiss that had my heart singing in my chest and my dark eyes drifting closed. I lifted my head, reluctantly, when I felt Alice press her elegant hand into the centre of my chest, a shaky sigh made my entire lithe frame tremble as I stared back at her. It was both amazing and slightly intimidating, that a small kiss from my mate could quite literally have my knees ready to give out from the onslaught of emotion that Alice evoked. Light traces of heady arousal blended in with the scent of snow and pine needles.

"Don't worry pretty Pixie..." I deeply inhaled her light scent, like the breezy fragrance of an ocean on a hot summers day. Her magnetizing scent reminded me of my childhood, spending the day at the beach with the entire tribe, and I mean the _entire _Quileutetribe. I'd miss those times, if, over time, I hadn't gotten something much better. I had Alice and a new family to fill the gap left behind after my mom and the rest of the clan passed away "...I'm all yours"

"Then you won't mind covering up for me, will you?" Alice leaned forward, her long legs tightened around my waist slightly before she gently pushed against my shoulders again, trailing her cool fingertips over the circular tribal tattoo covering a small fraction of my upper right arm, the black ink was still as vibrant as it had been over a hundred years ago. Sighing roughly, I reluctantly disentangled myself from my mate's legs, taking my time in caressing the length of Alice's thighs.

"Fine, you win, I'm on it" As I turned slightly, showing my back to my mate, I heard a soft rustling about a kilometre or so away from the minuscule snow-covered grove we lingered in. I knew from the abnormally light asymmetry that it couldn't possibly be an animal of any breed or size. Sighing airily, I stepped away from the boulder my Pixie was elegantly perched on before I crouched slightly, releasing the elastic band that held my folded pair of jeans shorts and faded grey t-shirt tight against my lightly muscled calf, even when I shifted into my wolf. A procedure so familiar to me that I barely even noticed carrying any clothing with me anymore, despite the time required to prepare for my change. Slinging my t-shirt over my shoulder, I quickly stepped into my Daisy Duke's, guiding the formfitting denim up my long shapely legs until I could fasten the button fly, before I effortlessly slid into my tight grey shirt, with it's plunging neckline, feeling my supple muscles flex with each smooth movement I made.

A prolonged wistful exhale echoed behind me the moment I pulled my short sleeved t-shirt down over my hard abdomen, the thin cotton hugged my defined abs like a second skin. Cocking my head over my shoulder, I caught Alice staring at my ass longingly, she'd slid back on the boulder and folded her legs beneath her, she didn't seem to notice the snow seeping into her very expensive pair of pants, that just happened to be a favourite of my mate's. I made a mental note to make sure I put them in the laundry later, seeing as it was my turn to take care of the domestic aspects our of relationship today, a hundred years ago, I never would've seen myself following a schedule concerning who changed the bed sheets and what not, much less enjoying it. Oh good lord, I've turned into a tame animal, and it feels so damned satisfying.

"Can I change my mind?..." Alice pouted adorably. I chuckled in response, in accompaniment with the sound of further rustling out in the forest, snow covered foliage being crushed beneath three inch heels. I could almost smell anxiety on the air, emitting from Bella, the scent of nervousness was so thick and palpable I could almost taste it, repugnant as it was.

"...On second thought, we're needed, my big bad wolf. Puppy. My baby wolf!" I arched the perfect slash of my dark eyebrow sardonically, feeling my lips curl upward in a wide, irrepressible, grin as she bounded off the boulder, displaying more natural grace than any ballerina ever born could ever hope to attain.

"Careful sweetheart, this baby wolf has sharp teeth, perfect for biting the asses of little Pixies" I threatened tauntingly as she practically danced through the thick layer of snow, heading in the general direction we could both hear Bella nervously pacing back and forth in the distance. Alice paused ahead of me, just as I began to trail after my petite mate. A saucy smile adorned her full red lips as she glanced over her compact shoulder, her golden eyes were darker than usual, enthralling honey, warmth blossomed in my chest and pooled in my lower stomach as I stared back at the beautiful smile I loved so much.

"Only if I get to bite yours first, sexy puppy" Her melodic yet husky laugh sent shivers along my skin, like every fibre of my being literally began to purr, like a satiated kitten, in response to the sound of my mate's voice.

"You've had it now baby..." I growled low in my throat, baring my perfect white teeth while watching Alice's eyes widen as she backed away cautiously. Somehow she managed to effortlessly dodge every low hanging branch extending down from the ancient trees spread out for miles in either direction without her stunning irises ever leaving mine.

"Leah, don't you be looking at me like that" A glow grin spread across my lips as I began stalking towards her, lithe muscles tensed and ready for what I had in mind. Alice suddenly whirled on her heels, her entire elegant form blurred as she moved at vampire pace. I lunged, utilising the limitless strength in my legs to easily cross six feet in a single bound, while I was arguably faster than a vampire as wolf, my mate narrowly managed to slip out of my extended grip with a loud squeal, putting several metres of distance between us.

"How am I looking at you exactly?, like you've turned into Red Riding Hood?" I bared my teeth wolfishly, keeping my eyes fixed on my petite mate as she took cover behind a thick tree, painted white, the bole was twice the width of Jacob's impressively broad shoulders. I strode through the snow, feeling inches of snowfall, more or less instantly, melt against my hot flesh. I leaned my shoulder against the tree my mate had taken refuge behind, even through the thick ageless oak between us I could sense her smiling. I always knew when she was smiling even when I couldn't see her beautiful face, my wolf howled loudly in my ears with primal satisfaction, making Alice happy and keeping her safe was what I lived for.

"You know, Red Riding Hood ended up on top at the end of that little soiree" I could hear the playful edge in her tone, as cliché as it was, her voice was the sweetest sound to grace my ears, everything else was abrasive.

"Just out of curiosity, is that your way of saying I'm gonna get topped tonight?" I nibbled on my lower lip, biting off a soft moan at the mere thought. The rustling out in the distance grew louder, overhasty, I tensed slightly, expecting Bella to come lurching through the thick brush at any second. I was surprised my sister hadn't appeared already, her heightened senses would've told her when I finished dressing, but then again, if I were in her position, I'd want to prolong my return to the mansion, and beloved mate, also. Damn, I couldn't imagine what kind of hell was going be raining down on us all when Rosalie found out the truth.

"No, that is my way of saying you're going to get topped right now" Alice voice, like the lilting rhythm of wind chimes, dragged me out of my thoughts, in time to feel myself being tackled to the ground, with a soft grunt, snow billowed up around my fallen form. I blinked dumbly up at the night sky, by my estimation, I'd say it couldn't be more than 3am, give or take ten minutes. The deliciously soft weight of my mate settled on my flat stomach, her satisfied smile shone down at me like the sun seeking out a flower in much need of vital sustenance.

"Real refined Pixie" I caught her slender wrists in both of my hands, earning myself a pout from Alice when she realised I wasn't going to let her roving hands go wandering over my upper body.

"Who said anything about me being ladylike?, its because I'm so short, isn't it?. Why do people always have to assume-" Tensing my abdominal muscles, I leaned up toward her, her ever endearing rambling drifted into a breathless gasp as I brushed my lips over hers, lightly, tenderly.

"You're perfectly petite, if anything you're carry size for my convenience..." I laughed at the mockingly insulted expression she fostered while ripping her dainty hands free from my grasp, crossing her arms with an impish glare and half-smile. I compensated for the loss of contact by wrapping my arms around her tiny waist, linking my long slender fingers together at her lower back. Subtly, I felt her shimmy closer to me, pressing our bodies together tightly, unfolding her arms to snake them around my neck. Meanwhile the snowfall continued to thaw, helpless to remain at a subzero temperature against my blazing flesh, even with the added assistance of the biting winds whistling through the trees.

"...Not to mention you're one hell of a linebacker" I winked, earning myself a giggle from my mate. A human would never believe that such an elegant creature could knock me flat on my ass, it was a good thing Jake and Seth hadn't been around to witness it, else I would never hear the end of the matter. The clear sound of someone clearing their throat had me snapping my attention toward the left, a low dangerous growl rumbled forth out of my chest, only to quieten when my dark eyes landed upon Bella's sombre expression. Everything about my Fae sister screamed 'anxiousness', from the lines of tension gripping her muscles to the dark shadows in her eyes and her clenched jaw.

"Well ah...Lets get this party outta the snow and back on the road, shall we?" Bella's dark, mournful, eyes darted toward the mansion, hidden by a canopy of forestry beneath the night sky, a low sound filled with misery rumbled in the back of my sisters throat. A rough sigh escaped me, I trailed my hands down Alice's slim waist to cup the backs of her thighs in either of my hands, feeling her lightly muscled arms tighten around the graceful column of my neck as I dragged us both out of the snow with ease. Rising up into a crouch, with her legs wrapped around me for a second time that night, I climbed to my feet, setting Alice on the ground in front of me and reluctantly letting her slip from my hold.

"You're the boss...boss, C'mon Leah" I caught Alice dainty hand when she reached for me, brushing my thumb over the back of her palm tenderly as I smiled down at her lovingly. Her confused frown prompted me to lift her hand up to my lips, I pressed an adoring kiss to the back of her knuckles marvelling at the softness of her skin, like I always did when we touched.

"You go ahead, I gotta have a little conversation with Bella first..." The Fae didn't even react when I spoke her name, my sister remained frozen, unmoving like a sculpted statue of marble, staring in the direction of our home with a pained expression painted across her face.

"...We'll be two minutes tops, I promise" I urged softly, drawing one last circle over the silken, magnolia pale skin of her hand, absent-mindedly, before I released her palm from my own. I tilted my head encouragingly, and nudged her gently.

"Fine. But don't think this gets you out of laundry duty..." Alice smirked, I grinned dotingly when a bright gleam suddenly sparked in her stunning eyes "...Hey!, Esme won't have even started cleaning the house yet, which means I get to make your breakfast today!" She leaned up on the tips of her toes to press a fleetingly sweet kiss to my cheek, waves of excitement fell from her petite form like a waterfall over an overhang. While no one could ever find a fault with Esme's cooking, my mother put every chef in history to shame, but I gotta admit, I just preferred Alice's cooking.

"My mouth is watering already..." I grinned "...Now take your cute butt and get in the house" My grin withered as I watched my mate turn on her heel, offering me a gorgeous smile over her shoulder, leaving me alone with Bella in the forest. I waited, patiently yet tensed, ready to shift and rush toward her should something happen while we were parted, until I detected the sound of Alice's footsteps melding into the symphony of comforting noise emitting outward from the mansion. My mate was safe.

Another low, woeful, rumble sounded from behind me as I took a deep calming breath, but without Alice nearby, it was like my blood had been set on fire. My wolf was no longer pacified with the soothing presence of my mate, with frightening clarity, I realised just how much potential danger Alice had been placed in when we'd left, with no warning, to meet with Dana and Soren earlier in the night. The fact that we'd met with no misfortune didn't matter to me, not in that moment. My muscles tensed, tighter than a bow string, as I turned around, I could feel myself shaking with the force of my anger when my eyes landed on Bella, still gazing toward the mansion. What did she have to worry about?, _her _mate and _her_ children was perfectly safe, they hadn't been placed in harm's way in the name of curiosity.

The loud resounding growl that leapt passed my lips belonged to my wolf, I don't remember moving, I just remember feeling my fist driving into fucking ice encased granite and the sharp splintering sensation of my skin, just as impenetrable as a vampire's, splitting open like sugar paper. Bella didn't even react, not even a little bit, I just put all of my strength into punching her, and I didn't even get a flinch?!, my wolf roared inside my head. I groaned softly, lifting my hand up to inspect the damage, my knuckles were cut open, a fragmented stream of ruby red blood ran from the deep wound dripping into the snow, I winced with pain, feeling my hand begin to throb furiously. Ignoring the pain and instantaneous swelling in my palm, I glared darkly at my sister. Bella met my eyes calmly, a slight frown marring her brow as she dropped her gaze down to my hand before she returned eyes, dark with the violent swirl of emotion she was dealing with, to my face.

"If you ever place my mate in danger, for any fucking reason again. I swear to God I _will _bite your damn head off and play a game of basketball with it, do you understand?" As loud as my guttural snarl echoed in my ears and resonated deep in my chest, Bella was numb to anything but her own thoughts. I clenched my hands into fists, ignoring the hot spill of blood seeping from my wound and the, consequent, sharp splinters of pain that erupted up my forearm, even as my wolf continued to roar in my ears. Bella's nostrils flared, picking up the scent of blood thick on the bitter cold air, it was like watching my sister come out of a self-induced trance as she blinked a single time and took a measured breath.

"You're right, and I'm sorry..." Bella's voice was hoarse, a swift tick formed in her cheek as she fought to unlock her clenched jaw.

"...I got so caught up in my own bullshit that I didn't think about how it would affect you and Alice, I should've told you what was going down before we left, I just didn't want to chance Akasha and Elena overhearing..." I tilted my head, catching the hopeless sight that escaped her lips.

"...If they found out that Dana was alive and gone looking for her, she would've gotten the fuck out of dodge before we learned about this Binding stone. The help Dana gave us was limited, hell if you think about it she just added more shit to our 'To-Do List', but we've found our escape route Lee-" Bella didn't appear to be relieved though, if anything she was more troubled than I had ever seen her before, like the weight of the world had come plummeting down on her shoulders and she was struggling to stay upright.

"That doesn't change the fact that we could've very easily been waltzing into a trap. What if Alexia and her nut jobs had been waiting for us instead of Dana and Soren?. All three of us could be dead!" I ground my teeth together, doing my best to restrain the deep primal snarl in my chest. I could see her point, really I could, my wolf would've severed the leash I had on her otherwise. Not that I would be able to kick Bella's Fae ass either way.

"Jesus Christ!, give me some credit Leah, I thought it through a hundred times before we left. If Alexia wanted us dead, we both know that the entire family would be popping daisies already. She wants our cooperation, even if she had been there, we wouldn't have been in danger. I'd stake my life on it. Trust me..." Bella tucked her pale hands in the front pocket of her stonewashed jeans, cocking her head imploringly. I released a strained sigh, my wolf slowly ceased her furious growling in the face of logic, though I still couldn't force my lithe muscles to uncoil, despite the amount of tension gathering into tight knots along my form. I trusted Bella unconditionally, my sister would never willing place any of us in harm's way, but I refused to apologise for punching her. She should have, at the very least, given me some kind of hint as to what kind of situation I was walking into. I did not appreciate being surprised with a potential threat when I had my mate with me. She understood that, or she would have retaliated within a nanosecond and my pride would be stinging just as painfully as my sore knuckles.

"...So?, are we good?"

"Yeah, we're good..." I breathed, inhaling the morning air deep into my lungs, the varying scents of the forest filled my senses, calling to my wolf. Reminding me that I had been neglecting the other half of my nature for too long. I met Bella's dusky eyes, in spite of the easing enmity between us, her irises remained darker than her black leather jacket. Even with my heightened hearing, I hadn't caught much more than a few stray words of Bella's conversation with Dana back in the bar. Now, thinking back on the whole thing, I realised that was the reason Soren had drawn Alice and I away from Bella, so that the two Fae could speak amongst themselves in private.

"...We should head home, its well passed our curfew and I have no intention of getting an earful from our mother, again" I grinned widely, seeing all lasting traces of tension in the air disperse, Bella released a lilting, if somewhat strained, laugh.

"Alright for some, but I suspect V is going to chew my ear off before the sun rises today, Esme as well, over our impromptu visit from 'Her Homicidal Highness' the other day" Bella pulled her hands out from the front pockets of her tight jeans, together we leisurely strode, side by side, toward the mansion. The throbbing in my abused knuckles settled into a dull ache, signalling that I was already beginning to heal.

"Well good luck with that Bells" My sister brushed aside a low hanging branch, reaching down from an ancient oak, Bella waited patiently for me to slip passed her before allowing the branch to swing back into it's natural pose. I smiled at her disgruntled look as we continued at a slow pace toward home.

"Are you telling me you'd leave me to face our parent's wrath alone?" A slow sarcastic smirk began to toy with the right corner of Bella's mouth.

"Bella, I will follow you to hell and back, so long as Alice doesn't object, but I would never brave maternal instinct for you. I am not that stupid" I playfully nudged her shoulder with my own as we emerged from the forest, onto the long and winding driveway leading from the main road to our mansion, extending for over a mile, the driveway was nearly undecipherable to the human eye, whether the sun was doing it's best to shine through the permanent overcast of Alaska, or not.

"Gotta tell you sis, I am feeling the love" Bella grumbled, shaking her head sardonically as we passed in the garden, decorated with various art pieces, that Carmen had collected over the centuries with Eleazar, clothed in ice that did not diminish their beauty.

"What can I say?, I'm a very loving person..." I laughed at the overstated look of sheer disbelief she sent me, when we were little more than a few feet away from the walnut front door, reinforced with titanium after the last incident that involved the thing being torn off it's hinges

"Okay I've got a bitch streak a mile wide when needed, but come on!, its in my very nature Bella..." I winked coquettishly, Bella chuckled loudly just as I caught two very familiar masculine scents coming towards us at a humans pace, the smell of pine needles and other woodland aromas, almost exactly like my own.

"What up ladies?" I greeted sarcastically when the front door swung open, Jacob and Seth descended the stone porch steps wearing nothing more than dark cut-off jeans and sulky pouts.

"I'll leave you three to it" Bella nudged my shoulder affectionately as she passed, patting Jake and Seth's broad shoulders fondly before she disappeared in a flash, bolting upstairs to her mate and children. Not to mention Victoria's stern ear bashing.

"Seriously girls, name the problem, you know I'm a sucker for damsels in distress..." I expected the two hulking knuckle heads to laugh, their normal response to my satire, instead they settled on the bottom step of the porch, resting their elbows on their knees and cradling their heads in their massive paws. Jacob sighed miserably and Seth rubbed the back of his broad neck tiredly, I exasperatedly glanced between them, beginning to count the seconds passing, by tapping my bare foot against the snow-covered ground, overhead the stars in the velvet night sky twinkled down at us.

"...Dammit would you both just tell me what has your, respective, granny panties in a twist?, so I can have breakfast with my mate already" I crossed my eyes beneath my ample breasts, feeling the tight material of my grey shirt stretch across my back, as I waited for my baby brother and our Alpha to reveal why they looked like two huffy teenagers. I had a pretty good idea, and judging from the deepening frowns on the faces of my brothers, I was going to be right on the money. I smirked as both men met my gaze, their lips parting, like they were about to answer me.

_Three _

_Two _

_One_

"Jane and Alec kicked us out of the kitchen when Alice offered to help them brush up on their cooking skills" Jacob explained, spreading his arms slightly, palms facing upwards as he incredulously shook his head. As if to confirm his explanation a loud tinkering sound erupted from inside the house, like someone pulling selective pans free from Esme's extensive collection.

"According to Alice, breakfast will consist of French toast, crumb topped banana muffins, pancakes and waffles, all home-made" Seth added, mine wasn't the only stomach that suddenly started growling loudly.

"So explain to me how you got kicked out of the kitchen?" I frowned, still a little unclear on how my brothers could have irritated their mates to such an extent.

"Well your pinhead of a baby brother decided to test the banana muffin mixture-" Jacob glared at the youngest wolf, shifting slightly on the porch steps.

"Man I couldn't help myself!, I was hungry. Besides you were there with me very step of the way so why are you scrambling onto the moral high ground?!" Seth growled up at our Alpha. I rolled my eyes at their sudden deadlocked glares. I loved my brothers, dearly, but sometimes all I wanted to do was knock their heads together, could they be anymore immature?.

"Because I was just watching Jane cook, _I_ wasn't trying to eat everything in sight like furry Godzilla" Jacob grumbled.

"Oh yeah right, you know what Jake, over the years you've become an accomplished liar" Seth snapped. Oh God, they were like an old married couple at times, better keep that little titbit to myself though, I wouldn't want them to get into trouble with Jane and Alec.

"Don't be such a Diva Seth..."

"Sorry I asked" I muttered, subjecting myself to listen to my brother's petty bickering until I got the all clear from our respective mates in the kitchen, I leaned my hip against the porch railing and crossed my arms beneath my breasts. I wonder if it was too late for me to tackle Victoria's maternal instinct with Bella?.

**Bella's POV.**

_Breathe. _My legs of lead weighted me down the closer I came to the nursery. The thick, twisting knots in my stomach contorted further as my footsteps, against the high thread count carpeting stretching out before me, resounded painfully loud in my ears. I was reminded of my eighteen years concealed in the human world, how my heart would thunder in my ears when I grew nervous and fearful, the resulting light-headedness would make me like I was on the precipice of unconsciousness, the urge to run away as fast as I could to avoid the object of my anxiety.

_Breathe. _At that exact moment,I would sell my soul for a return to the dull human emotions I hardly recalled, everything in the supernatural world was gloriously amplified a thousand fold. Eyesight. Touch. Smell. Hearing. The list goes on. But emotion, by God, if that wasn't the most powerful thing in my world... My love for Rosalie, and our twins, perpetually thrived in my every fibre, there was no life without them. The empty years before claiming my mate were a pointless memory, and a hazy one at that. My sole purpose in life was to care, protect and provide for Rosalie, Ashley and Lucas. If I was a flower, they were the one thing I couldn't exist without, they were the sun, eternally eclipsing all else in creation.

_Breathe. _I froze outside the twin's bedroom, behind the double doors, made of oak, I could hear them. Rosalie murmuring softly, comfortingly, to our daughter. Ashley whimpered woefully in response to the musical silky quality of her mother's soothing voice. Lucas gurgled, seeking to comfort his sister in his own way. Victoria and Esme were in the nursery as well. I reached for the solid door handle, only to find my hand frozen mid-air a few inches away. Agony erupted in my sternum, sharp like a double edged sword, I could feel my knees quake. A pained grimace crossed my face as I stared at the nursery doors. I needed to go to Rosalie, face the music and tell her what had happened, why Alexia had glinted down at Ashley the same way I looked at my mate. It was inevitable, and I felt sick because of that fact. Retracting my outstretched hand, I pressed my palm tightly to my flat stomach, swallowing hard as a wave of icy fear sent violent shivers up and down my spine and a heavy weight settled in my abdomen.

_Breathe. _I retreated from the double doors, like mouse from a starving cat, feeling my back connect with the hard wall behind me, a small walnut table beside me, topped with a vase of fresh white tulips, clattered loudly. I tilted my head back, clenching my emotion dusked eyes shut. Rosalie had wanted children since she was a girl, how was I supposed to tell my cherished mate, the only woman I would ever truly love, that our precious baby daughter was forever bonded to a merciless woman that, I had doubt, had killed thousands in the ten millennia she'd been alive?. It would destroy her. I would forever place Rosalie's happiness and safety above my own and that of anyone else, it was pure instinct, permanently hard-wired into my genetics, and yet what I had to tell her went against everything I am. I could no longer breathe steadily, technically I didn't need to, but without that steady, rhythmic, action I felt like I was trying to support a herd of elephants on my shoulders and I was failing miserably in the task. Was I imagining the floor twirling tauntingly?. Distantly, I could abruptly hear myself begin to hyperventilate, like the beginning of a panic attack, but it was as though my mind had been separated from my body, and the two were parted by miles. The side-table beside me rattled in protest as I leaned a hand against it, attempting to steady my shaky legs and to rid myself of the obstructive lump in my throat, it's mere presence threatening to choke me. The world swam hazily before my darkened eyes.

"Bella?..." I shook my head furiously, hearing my name fall from the flawless lips of an angel, the heavenly sound cleared my head instantaneously. Straightening, like a puppet on a string, I stumbled across the wide hallway, decorated with vivid earthy tones, towards the nursery doors, just as they were jerked open.

The very sight before me, of Rosalie cradling our distraught daughter in her arms almost had my heart beating once again out of sheer joy at laying my eyes on her. My mate's awe-inspiring beauty shoved my plaguing thoughts toward the back of my mind, caging them far beyond my concern, I smiled brightly. I sidled closer to my lover and child, sliding one hand around Rosalie's stunningly slender waist as the blonde Fae lingered in the doorway. I pressed a tender kiss to my mate's lusciously full lips, savouring her intoxicating taste, feeling her reciprocate with equal lovingness, enough to make my chest tighten. Though I could sense her confusion and worry, just like she could detect my own dispiriting emotions. I lifted my head slightly, reluctantly ending our sweet kiss in favour of nuzzling her magnolia pale cheek, instinctively seeking comfort from the only person who capable of providing it. A small frown marred Rosalie's perfectly shaped eyebrows, she wanted answers about my meeting with Dana, though she didn't even try to prevent me from cuddling, instead she snuggled closer to me, soothingly kissing my forehead. I could hear Victoria and Esme murmuring softly to each other, inside the nursery while we continued to remain on the threshold. Tilting my head downward toward Ashley, still whimpering grouchily, while carefully cradled within the lithe arms of my mate, Rosalie slowly nuzzled the top of my head, drawing contented purrs from both of us.

I lifted my palm, finding my hand shaking despite my efforts to keep a steady touch. I gently stroked the top of Ashley's blonde head, feeling the softness of her thin air brush against the palm of my hand, as I continued gazing down at my daughter, barely a month old, and already mated. I knew in my heart that Ashley was tied to Alexia, forevermore, why else would my daughter gaze back at me with emotion darkened eyes, a tell-tale sign of the misery dampening the little Fae's heart?. But that did not prevent my breath from catching in the back of my throat, nor my arm around Rosalie's waist from tightening, I snuggled closer to my mate, needing to feel her warmth more than ever before in that moment, as I lifted Ashley's tiny hand slightly, examining my daughter's left palm with critical attention. Hoping to find nothing, yet knowing I was going to be deeply disappointed. I clenched my jaw painfully tight, a tick forming in my cheeks, in my attempt to keep myself from releasing the vertiginous gasp demanding it's freedom from deep in my chest, where it felt like I'd just been punched. A slim, vertical mark marred the pale skin beneath Ashley's little thumb, starting at her delicate knuckle and ending at her small wrist. To a humans' eyes, on such a dainty hand, the _Sicarri_ mating mark wouldn't appear to be much more than a small dark blemish, to my heightened vision, I could see the clear beginnings of an ancient design, like some kind of ageless glyph with intricate swirls. As Ashley grew up, the tattoo-like mark would expand and become incredibly evident, a distinct, unmistakable and deadly warning to anyone and anything that Ashley was mated.

"What is that?..." I swallowed nervously, feeling Ashley's little hand latch onto my index finger as Rosalie's breathing sped up, my mate drew our daughter closer to her ample chest, studying the mating mark like she would some obscure text. I lifted my head, watching my lover's irises shift from neon blue to midnight black in a single second. I could already feel my heart beginning to break, my inner animal, always laying close to the surface of my flesh lifted it's head, roaring it's violent protest against Rosalie's pain. Ashley's hand tightened around my finger, almost like our daughter was pleading with me to reveal the truth "...Bella, what is it?!" Rosalie growled softly, palpably, but not loud enough to further disturb Ashley. If my mate had failed to notice the mating mark, I could only assume that Rosalie had been so concerned with comforting our distressed child. I could still hear Ashley's pained cries ringing in my ears after Alexia had fled the mansion. Eleven long hours, Ashley had cried, without ceasing, without taking comfort from either myself or Rosalie, not even Lucas had been able to calm his twin. That alone had nearly broken Rosalie.

"What is wrong?" I didn't spare Esme or Victoria a glance as my parents drew near, Esme pressed a motherly hand to Rosalie's shoulder as my mate began shaking, her entire body tensed with worry, I withdrew my arm from around Rosalie's slender waist when I noticed Lucas, spreading his tiny arms wide, reaching for me from Victoria's warm embrace. I tenderly lifted the youngest of my twins into my arms, smiling grimly at Victoria as the redheaded vampire tucked her hands into the back pockets of her designer pants, the silver bangles at both her wrists chimed softly as I held Lucas to my shoulder, making sure to support his head.

"I'll explain everything, but not now..." Victoria's jaw clenched, her golden coloured eyes narrowed on me determinedly, like she was judging on whether or not she should argue with me. My own gaze hardened commandingly, for several long seconds we glared back one another, challenging stares locked defiantly. Lucas gurgled in my ear as he tangled his little hand in the ends of my long black-red hair, a result of Victoria's venom running through my veins from my 'turning'. At last my mother sighed, the warning gleam in her eyes told me that she wasn't going to let me off the hook forever, and I would need her guidance in the days to come, but Rosalie and our children took precedence over everything else.

"...Is Eleazar in his study?" I murmured quietly, gently rubbing Lucas back as he continued gurgling contentedly to himself. Out the corner of my eye, I could both see and feel Rosalie's panic as she rocked Ashley back and forth, my mate's eyes were locked the mating mark like she would glare at an enemy. In a way, it was, the small tattoo-like mark signified that Ashley was no longer just ours...My inner Fae lunged at it's cage door, furiously rattling my self control as it fought for freedom. I shook my head, feeling my venom begin to boil and my forearms start to burn.

"That man is always in his study, laptop open, with a book in hand and Carmen in his lap..." Victoria drawled with a smirk and a roll of her eyes. I couldn't help but smile at my mother's endearing sarcasm, though from the wary tensing of her muscles, she knew how close the animal living beneath my skin was to breaking free of it's titanium confines. I hadn't completely lost control over my inner beast since Lucas was kidnapped, I could already feel the tell-tale signs become more and more overpowering. I tilted my head, inhaling my son's Freesia and jasmine scent, so similar to my own, only a shade or two slighter. "...Why do you ask?"

"I'm going to need his superior wisdom and knowledge, yours as well, as soon as I've talked with Rosalie. The three of us are going to have a nice long discuss about a problem I've recently encountered, we'll probably need Akasha as well..." The hurdle in need of jumping would be keeping Dana out it, Akasha would be like a dog with a bone when she discovered I knew about the Binding Stone and I had already given my biological sister my word that I would keep quiet about her 'survival'. I couldn't risk Akasha and Elena blindly running to Volterra, and Alexia, before I'd lain the foundation for my plan. Maybe it was cruel, keeping the truth of Dana's 'death' from them, and maybe I didn't have the right considering I'd only known my biological parents for so long and my older sister even less. But they're the ones who came waltzing into my life, overturning everything I've ever known, and my entire family's longevity hinged on playing the game by the rules supplied to me by Alexia, Dana and Soren, they'd made that abundantly clear.

"...Could you gather Akasha and Eleazar in the living room?, but don't tell them anything yet, just wait for me downstairs" I forced a warm smile for Lucas when I felt him gently touch one of his little hands to my jaw.

"Fine. But you _are_ going to tell what the hell is going on, and don't even bloody think about skimming out on the details because I _will _know if you're lying, and just so you know, you're not too old for a damned time-out, Missy..." Victoria sternly warned, pressing a loving kiss to the back of Lucas' head, I grinned helplessly when my son suddenly sneezed with so much force I felt his entire body jerk in my arms. Momentary panic erupted in my chest when Lucas disappeared, as a result of his sneeze, even though I could still feel his warm form against my chest and shoulder.

"...And being cute will not save your mother Lucas" Victoria smiled adoringly when the little Fae became visible once again, like someone pulled an invisible blanket from over my son.

"V, I promise I'll tell you everything, after..." I flickered my eyes over to my mate and our daughter, my heart seized agonizingly, watching as Rosalie paced back and forth, cradling Ashley so close it was like they'd become one. Each time Esme tried to give the blonde Fae a comforting touch, Rosalie glared at the petite vampire icily, a low menacing rumble echoed in her throat.

"...We need time" I whispered, clearing my throat nervously before I heaved a resolute sigh. It was time. Time to bite the bullet and pray it didn't kill me.

"Alright, just Eleazar and Akasha right?" Victoria rested her hand on my right shoulder while I held Lucas tight to my left.

"Yeah, keep it on the DL for now though, I need more solid information before I'll tell the rest of the family" A small yawn chimed in my ear, Lucas snuggled his angelic face into the crook of my neck, apparently settling in for a nap.

"You got it Bells" Victoria brushed passed me, cautiously avoiding Rosalie, I waited until the redheaded vampire tenderly guided Esme from the nursery until, shutting the doors behind them with a soft click, I dared to steal a glance at my mate.

"Do you wanna tell me what this _thing _is now?" I flinched at the waves of raw fear that came crashing into me from Rosalie's melodious voice. I shifted on the heels of my feet, parting my lips to answer her, when I became very aware of Lucas' steady breathing in my ear.

"There isn't an easy way to say this-" I gnawed on my lower as I approached the twin's crib, my mate's eyes burned into my back while I gently placed our son into his bassinet, he murmured quietly to himself before settling down. I pulled the twin's white baby blanket up to the middle of his chest, and made sure to tuck the hem beneath his tiny arms.

"There isn't...There isn't something, wrong, with her...is there?..." I stroked Lucas' head tenderly, before I flashed across the nursery faster than the human or vampire eye could see. The sight of Rosalie's eyes, darkened with severe distress, shinning brightly with tears that could never fall was like a vice painfully clamping down on my heart

"...Oh God, there is, what-" Frantic, desperate mewls flew passed her full pink lips, spurring me into immediate instinctive action, even as the sounds of her misery and confusion ripped into my very soul.

"Shh love..." I shifted around her, so that I could embrace my mate from behind, wrapping my arms around her perfectly slim waist while her own remained holding our precious baby girl, Ashley, like her brother, was a helpless victim to exhaustion, and now slept fitfully in her mother's comforting hold.

"...There is nothing wrong with her, she is part of you, they're both perfect" I nuzzled my face into the pale silky blonde strands of my mate's hair, inhaling her scent as I drew her back toward me so that more or less every inch of our bodies were touching, like two puzzle pieces fitting together in arrant harmony. I linked my long slender fingers together against her flat stomach, savouring her warmth as her body relaxed into mine. Needing my touch as much as I needed hers.

"Do you...Do you remember the night the _Sicarri _came here, and Alexia held Ashley..." I didn't know how I was still standing, I didn't want to hurt Rosalie, indirectly or otherwise, I'd sooner take my own life. The world was spinning before my eyes again, my only tether to consciousness, to any sense of meaning, was leaning back against me. I felt Rosalie stiffen in my arms, I had to swallow hard and clear my throat multiple times before I could continue in a broken voice.

"...Alexia, she...Ashley is her...Oh God Rose, I'm so sorry" My eye began to burn, my vision swam from a build up of tears but I couldn't finish choking out those despised words. I couldn't tell the woman I love more than life itself that one of the children she'd yearned for, for over two centuries, half belonged to another. And there was nothing either of us could do to change that. It killed me. Rosalie stiffened in the circle of my arms, I tightened my hold around her, even as I felt her begin to pull away from me. In the brief silence that followed, a pin dropping would be like an avalanche.

"Let me go" Rosalie snapped, cold as ice, yet calmly. I expected fireworks, what I got was worse. A tick appeared in my cheek as my jaw tightened, I fought to do as she'd asked, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't quite manage to unlace my entwined fingers. My efforts were in vain, especially when she began to shake in my embrace, her every muscle coiled tight. I could sense her pain, her fury, falling off of her in more than just mere waves, it was like a tsunami smashing into me at full force. A fate I'd sooner face in the stead of this, this was unbearable.

"Rose-" I whispered into her ear, darting my eyes down over her slender shoulder. Ashley slept fitfully in my mate's lithe arms, which I knew was the only reason Rosalie's inner Fae hadn't yet burst out of it's cage, she wouldn't risk disrupting our daughter, never, not for anything.

"Didn't you hear me?. Let me go. Now" She spoke so quietly, like it physically hurt to form words, without my acute hearing I wouldn't have been able to hear her. And I wasn't sure I wanted to. I barely managed to stifle the primal wail of agonised protest bubbling up my throat, burning like acid, somehow I pried my arms from around Rosalie's waist. I clamped down the immediate urge to take my mate back into my arms by clenching my hands into tightly balled up fists. Rosalie was a paradigm of confident grace, despite the layers of tension surrounded her like a dark aura as she stalked toward the twin's crib with her back toward me. Her head was downcast, I didn't have to see her beautiful face to know the look she wore, devastation.

"Rosalie-" I took a single step forward, only to catch her soft stifled whimper. I froze, actually feeling my knees begin to give way, it was too fucking much, this was hell on a Sunday.

"Don't talk. Just...don't...please..." Her voice hitched, like she was barely holding back a dry sob. That was the problem with our kind, you couldn't cry, now matter how hard you tried, you didn't get the release of tears, you were weighted down with everything in between. Renee, my adoptive human mother, once told me, after one of her many boyfriends left her in the past, that she always felt better after a good cry. In this regard, I envied humans. The sound of my mate sniffling as she carefully settled Ashley inside the ornate bassinet beside Lucas, the tiniest of loving purrs rumbled deep in Rosalie's chest, as she stroked both of the twin's forehead, drawing forth responding, though unconscious, purrs from our children filled with contentment. A symphony of sound that alleviated my wounded heart. Marginally.

"...Esme!, Chelsea!" The air behind me swiftly shifted, the nursery doors were pushed open again and the two petite, blonde haired, vampires confidently strode into the room, Maria nervously teetered in the doorway, obviously loath to be parted from Chelsea's side after their carnival ride of a courtship but just as reluctant to face off with Rosalie. I tilted my head, gesturing for the tall Hispanic vampire to join her shorter mate, I knew what my own mate had in mind. Esme, our adoptive mother, and one of the only two people on Earth Rosalie would leave the twins alone with. Chelsea, a three thousand year old vampire with the formidably renowned ability to both make and destroy emotional ties and Maria, she'd single handedly repelled numerous Volturi guards that Aro viewed as 'more expendable' out of Mexico countless times. I took a deep breath as Maria drew the double doors shut behind her with a soft click.

"What do you need Rosalie?" Chelsea's exotic Greek accent, even with it's commanding edge, was incapable of slicing through the heavy air, hanging over the nursery like a dark cloud. I didn't react when I felt Maria's questioning hand on my shoulder.

"Stay with them. We're not going far" Rosalie growled, turning on her heel to face us after one last loving glance at the twins. I don't think I've ever seen my mate look so cold, not since I was under the illusion of being human and she thought I was going to expose the Cullen's secret. I had to blink rapidly to ease the sting in my frozen tear ducts. Chelsea's brisk nod and the tightening of Maria's hand on my leather clad shoulder told me that nothing was going to get close to Ashley or Lucas until we said otherwise.

"Honey what is wrong?" Esme murmured gently, concern etched into every contour of her face and dominating her vocal octaves.

"Just do as I say..." Rosalie snapped, her oval shaped jaw tightened to restrain a hiss. It was like being bathed in a glacier, I wasn't at all surprised when Esme flinched violent, even Chelsea and Maria suddenly adopted troubled expressions.

"...I'm sorry mom, but I can't, I just can't explain right now" Ignoring Esme's pleading look, Rosalie stalked passed the petite vampire, nodding appreciatively at Chelsea and Maria.

I reached out for my mate's mate's magnolia pale hand, breathing a sight of relief when she didn't reject my touch like I feared she would, my eyes fluttered closed when she squeezed my palm with a desperate need for comfort. I followed after her, out of the expansive nursery, down the lavishly decorated hall adorned with timeless antiques that Tanya, Kate and Irina had collected over the centuries and into our own equally plush bedroom. While I pushed the oak door closed behind us, Rosalie walked across the wide expanse of our bedroom to pull open the glass balcony doors, permitting a blast of cold air to rush into the room.

"After everything, how could this happen?. To us?. To Ashley?. Why the fuck would Fate bind _our _innocent child to that murdering bitch?..." Rosalie snarled, rubbing her emotion darkened eyes with her hand. I cast my eyes downward, plagued by the fact I couldn't give my mate the answers that she so desperately wanted. The silken white drapes on either side of the balcony doors began to dance tauntingly in the bitter cold wind.

"...What did we do?, what did _I _do that was so bad The Powers That Be would punish our baby when she is barely more than four weeks old?"

"You didn't do anything Rose, neither of us did. This is just one of those things that we can't control..." I bolted across our bedroom, moving so fast a human wouldn't even see a blur, the clean scent of snow mixed our natural scent of Freesia and Jasmine as the wind, leaking in from the open balcony doors, whistled over my form. I encircled her slender wrist, gently urging her to turn around toward me, I gazed into her shimmering eyes while I comfortingly stroked the pad of my thumb over the dormant pulse point beneath her silken skin.

"...God knows, I'd give anything for a chance to go back in time and somehow change this, but I can't, the only thing we can do is deal with it the best we can"

"'Deal with it'?, how can you be so fucking calm!?. Our daughter is mated to a fucking murderer, how do you suggest we deal with that?. By inviting Alexia around for dinner maybe?. Arrange for her to go to rehab?. AA meetings?..." Rosalie wrenched her wrist out of my palm, her upper lip curled into a violent snarl that reverberated through our entire bedroom like the aftershock from an earthquake. I followed after my mate when she stalked out on the icy balcony, she wrapped her arms around herself, leaning a hip against the solid marble railing. I pulled the glass doors closed, leaning back against them as I trailed my eyes over Rosalie's tensed body.

"...What is to stop Alexia from just showing up one day and deciding to take Ashley away from us?" Rosalie whispered fearfully. I've been emotionally flailed over and over again ever since I saw that adoring look on Alexia's face, but the sound of my mate whimpering so brokenly was what broke my heart.

"Alexia can't hurt Ashley..." I swallowed hard, ignoring the bruised organ in my chest as best I could, my own pain didn't mean a thing in that moment, consoling Rosalie was my main priority "...We know it isn't possible to hurt our mate, even trying to separate Ashley from us would cause irrevocable damage. Alexia isn't even going to think about it, trust me"

"Don't be so sure. _We _can't hurt our mates, because our love and our instinct won't allow it. But face it Bella, we don't know how a _Sicarri_ thinks. For all we know, Alexia could see Ashley as no more than an object that she is unwillingly dependant on. Its obvious her sense of compassion is lacking, what if she doesn't care about hurting Ashley so long as she can get back at Akasha?. Hurting her through you could the ultimate kick for that homicidal bitch" Pushing away from the balcony doors, I inched toward her cautiously, I could practically read the dark thoughts weighing her mind and they made me ache with anguish for her. I slipped my arms around her from behind, the bitter cold wind slowed to a light breeze, I held my breath when Rosalie turned in the circle of my arms, I expected her to push me away again. To my great relief, my mate tucked her head under my chin and snaked her arms around my waist, tightly we clung to each other.

"We can't think like that" I murmured. Nuzzling the top of her head, as I drew her captivating scent deep into my lungs, savouring that, and the feel of her body melding into my own.

"Why not?, Fate is determined to kick us in the teeth at every turn..." My jaw clenched as she hid her angelically beautiful face in the base of my throat, sniffling quietly. I wanted to kill Alexia for this, for causing my Rosalie so much sadness, but even if I could, I knew that I wouldn't. Ashley would never forgive me, my daughter may only be four weeks old, but the twins possessed an eerie type of intelligence, at times it was like they understood everything going on around them. Ashley was perfectly well aware of _who_ Alexia was to her, I just hoped that the _Sicarri _could change her stripes before my daughter learned _what _Alexia was.

"...But, come hell or high water that bitch is not getting her hands on our daughter. I don't care what it takes, the only way she is being part of Ashley's life is over my dead body" I kissed the top of her head, feeling my inner Fae roar in protest. I loved the feel of Rosalie's silky blonde tresses brushing against my face, I stroked her back soothingly as I felt her perfectly lithe arms tighten around my waist.

"Rosalie, I love you so much, sometimes it hurts. I know that I would die if I was ever parted from you. You're the sun to me. My everything. And one day, that is how Ashley is going to see Alexia, we've already seen how distressing it is for Ashley to be away from her" I pressed another tender kiss to the top of her head.

"Are you telling me you're okay with this fucking farce?!" Rosalie lifted her head from my chest, she looked so betrayed by what I'd just said, or the last part at least. Keeping one arm wrapped around her svelte waist, I lifted one hand to caress the side of her painfully beautiful face, I cupped her pale cheek in my palm, half-smiling when she leaned into my touch with a subdued purr.

"Of course not, not that I want our baby to mated already, but if she had to be, then I'd want her mate to be kind, caring, deferent, honourable and nearer her own fucking age. But this is the hand we've been dealt-"

"And what she gets is unforgiving, unmerciful, tempestuous, stubborn, and bloodthirsty. So we can't change who Ashley's mate is, but that doesn't mean we have to accept it either!, there has to be a way for us to-" Rosalie's dark eyes blazed with maternal protectiveness, she was like a tigress, gorgeously fierce. God I love her passion, her strength, I loved everything about her, everything that is Rosalie.

"We have to believe Alexia can change, Rose, that she can become an adequate mate for our daughter. Or else we'll go insane trying to keep them separated, because we both know how strong the mate bond is, Ashley could end up hating us if we don't at least give Alexia a chance" I cradled the back of her head in my palm as she snuggled closer to me, she knew I spoke the truth, I could sense it in her defeated silence. But still, her hatred for the _Sicarri _burned, I couldn't honestly I didn't share in it, but more than anything I wanted peace, I wanted to spend the rest of eternity free of violence and danger, I wanted to watch the twins grow up with Rosalie beside me, both of us knowing our children would be forever safe and happy. Two people stood in the way of that dream, Aro and Alexia. There was a small chance Alexia could be reasoned with, but Aro, there was only one way to be rid of him, he would never give up in his deluded venture of enslaving us and not only that, but he had to pay for past offences, namely robbing Marcus of his mate and stealing the human lives of every Volturi guard when they showed an inch of gifted potential as a vampire.

"What if she doesn't want to?. What if she likes being this way?-" She lifted her head to gaze up at me imploringly, desperation coloured her tone, I kneaded the nape of her neck slowly with my right hand, instantly halting her quick fire of questions as her eyes fluttered closed.

"Let me stop you from climbing the mountain of 'What Ifs' any further. I don't think that Alexia was born a monster, but she has lived for thousands of years, and by Dana's reckoning something snapped along the way, when she lost a close friend and alienated the other as a result. There is a possibility that she will remain just as cold-hearted as she is now, but Ashley is the exact opposite. We've seen how much our daughter yearns for her mate, I guarantee Alexia needs her just as much" I continued massaging the slender column of her neck, her hands trailed across the small of my back, over my leather jacket until her graceful palms were flattened against my hard abdomen. The sound of glass cracking resounded in my ears when I found myself being pushed back from the balcony rail and into the set of double doors, I didn't need to look to know the clear glass panes had white webs stretching across them. Rosalie stood mere inches away from me, but the warmth of her palms pressing into my flat stomach radiated through my entire body, straight to my heart and soul. Her flawlessly shaped blonde eyebrows furrowed as she thought, she looked so beautiful in that moment, I nearly moaned when she nibbled on her succulent lower lip.

"You cannot ask me to put any trust in Alexia, or her ability and willingness to reform, nor will I ever be okay with her being Ashley's mate. But I have faith in you..." I gently caressed her cheek with my knuckles, I caught a flash of neon blue erupt in her eyes a second before she shifted forth, crushing our lips together tightly.

Her tongue swiped over the full curves of my lips, pressed gently at the seam of my mouth, licked at me heatedly, until I opened my lips, allowing her entrance. Her loud moan and my deep growl echoed around us, I tangled my hands into her long blonde hair as she dug her short nails into my stomach, my back pressed more firmly into the cracked glass balcony doors. I let her dominate our kiss, following her lead as she slid her tongue coaxingly along mine, she tasted like rich red wine and honey, sweet, intoxicating, addictive. Rosalie's hot moan made me shiver with shuddering desire, I couldn't control the guttural snarl that rumbled in my chest. I fisted my left hand in her luxurious pale silk of her hair, trailing my right hand slowly down the sinful contours of her body and smirking at the way she arched into my touch as she hungrily twined her tongue with mine. I slid my palm over the slight curve of Rosalie's hip until I cupped the back of her supple thigh, magnificently accentuated by the tight dark jeans she wore, the sounds of our hard breathing and desire filled moans were palpable on the cold air. Using my intimate hold on her thigh for leverage, I effortlessly lifted her off the balcony's stone floor, pressing her back into the glass doors, I hardly noticed the sound of crackling glass when I felt her long legs snake tightly around my lean waist and her arms go around my neck. Supporting her weight by cupping the lissom curves of her ass in my kneading hands, I nibbled at her full pink lips, my tongue raking forcefully past them to dominate our heated kiss. Arousal pooled low in my stomach as I wedged my hips firmly between her legs, pressing her back into the doors harder, a short, husky growl slipped passed her beautiful sculpted lips. I was so intoxicated, so drawn in by her sweet taste I wasn't prepared for the once sturdy glass doors finally giving way, loudly shattering into a thousand little pieces. I lost my balance, only just managing to turn so I landed on my hip, taking the brunt of the hard fall to our bedroom floor with glass confetti raining all around while somehow making sure my mate had a far softer reception. Many a time I've been thankful for our virtually impenetrable skin, and this was definitely one of them.

"Mark my words, Esme is going to take away our allowance for this" Rosalie laughed breezily, casually brushing sprinklings of glass shards off of her slender shoulders while she settled on top of me, straddling my flat stomach. I grumbled my agreement, ignoring the pool of glass shattered around me and pushing myself up off the carpeted floor and leaning on my elbows.

"Probably, but seriously, who has glass doors, or a glass anything, in a house full of vampires, shifters and Fae?. It's an accident just begging to happen" I smirked, shaking my head slowly.

Over Rosalie's slim shoulder I noticed something that made my smirk spread into a smile, noting my expression she tilted her head over her shoulder curiously. Her own radiant smile stole my breath when she met my eyes once more, after sharing a tender, heart-warming look, I waited for my mate mate to rise onto her feet with such awe inspiring grace I was momentarily struck with deep appreciation. Out of everyone on Earth that I could've been paired with, Rosalie was the embodiment of sheer beauty, grace, sensuality, wit, but she was also a thousand times more than just that. She was an amazing woman, an incredible mother, the unsurpassable lifemate. I could dedicate every ounce of my attention to my mate, spend over a thousands years entirely devoted to perusing what made her so flawless and I still wouldn't be able to capture the perfection of Rosalie Hale in words or picture. And she was all mine, now and forever. That fact still made my heart swell with love, admiration, gratitude, and I suspected it always would.

"Are you going to stare at me all day, lover, or we gonna watch the sunrise?" I clambered to my feet, a part of me knew I was just as graceful as she, but the bigger part of me just couldn't accept it. Taking her hand in mine, I let her lead me across toward the balcony railing once again, sliding one arm around her waist to cup her hip as we stared off into the snow-covered distance. The morning mist lightened as the sun slowly roused itself in the East, Rosalie rested her head on my shoulder as the fading night sky brightened into the first light of dawn. I heard her sight shakily as she snuggled closer into my side, I stroked her hip lovingly, holding her in a one armed embrace. The sun lazily peaked over the mountains ahead, casting tall shadows over the dense forest below, the bitter wind only seemed to warm slightly. It was such an intimate moment, so peaceful, that I didn't want it to ever end, had the twins been with us, it would've been complete. Rosalie and I both stiffened when my cellphone started vibrating insistently in my back pocket, I was never without it, which was the exact reason I was surprised it hadn't broken yet, like the hundreds before it, within a couple weeks of each other. I pressed a kiss to the top of my mate's head, tightening my right arm around her, before I went fishing for my phone with my left palm. I scanned the BlackBerry's wide screen, frowning at what I found, the number was withheld. Recognition came over me like a cold wave, I nuzzled the top of Rosalie's head soothingly when I heard her growl violently, she only calmed marginally.

"We'll skip the pleasantries, if you don't mind" Alexia's voice was strained, like someone had just sucker punched her in the sternum with enough force to break a couple of ribs and she was finding breathing difficult. A self-satisfied smirk tilted the corner of my lips upward, at least it appeared the _Sicarri _was suffering just as much as Ashley from the separation. My daughter could barely control her distressed crying long enough to feed, and twice now the little Fae had made herself sick because of hysteria. If Rosalie and I had to endure watching Ashley go through her own personal hell, there being nothing we could do to ease it, at least we knew Alexia was experiencing a similar ordeal. I would do anything, _anything,_ to stop the pain my daughter was in, but the only one who could do that was also the cause of Ashley's misery.

"Can't say I wanna talk to you any longer than I strictly have to" I snapped over the phone, Rosalie snuggled into my side tightly, I drew random patterns on her hip with my fingertips in order to ensure neither of us lost our tempers. It would be pointless.

"Brilliant. Now listen carefully because I am not in the habit of repeating myself. You and your family will arrive in Volterra in two day's time. You have several former Volturi guards among your 'ranks' so you won't be needing a guide. I will meet you and your Merry Band at _The Passo Di Montagna, _an old forgotten ruin that doubles as both a back entrance and escape route into the compound. From there we will greet Aro together, you will play to his obnoxious ego, and once I have what I want from him, you can kill him, or I will, I don't care who gets to gut Aro so long as he dies" Alexia sounded like a woman used to giving orders and having them obeyed the moment they were voiced, hard and cold, God I hoped I was making the right decision. I steeled myself, there was no time for backing out now, my options were limited as it was.

"And what happens after that?" Rosalie trembled fearfully against me, I swallowed tightly, I was just as afraid of what Alexia's answer would be. The future hinged on her reply.

"You've lost me" It was like having icy water dripped into my ear, but beyond the coldness in her tone, I sensed something odd, Alexia seemed to be uncertain, for the first time.

"Don't play dumb, you know what I'm talking about. But let me give you a hint, its represented by what looks like a tattooed glyph on your hand, and its the reason you sound like you're in pain. Ring any bells?" I sneered over the phone. The long silence that followed was the worst torture imaginable, it was intensified by feeling Rosalie shake against me, her stifled whimpers resounded in her chest.

"What is her name?" Alexia demanded bluntly, there was an edge to her voice, a desperate note that she tried to hide. Maybe I was imagining it, but it made sense, the _Sicarri _had only held Ashley once, drank in the sight of her once, Alexia knew nothing about her mate and it had to be killing her. I knew how much it would pain me if our positions were reversed. Half of me wanted to deny the _Sicarri _any knowledge of my daughter, the other half of me respected her right to know.

"Ashley, her name is Ashley" I bit out between clenched teeth.

"Ashley..." She echoed, with adoration?, I was almost certain I could hear a smile in her voice. I cleared my throat as a long silence stretched out across several minutes, I picked up on a soft rumbling, like contented purring?. Abruptly a hard growl erupted from my phone, it belonged falling from the jaws of an enraged animal, icy shards of instinctive fear barrelled into my stomach, only to be quelled by a surge of maternal protectiveness. I was not going to allow myself to be intimidated by her.

"...When we were children, I used to shorten your mother's name to 'Ash', back when the sound of it didn't make me want to slaughter and destroy everything in my way. Enjoy the next few days with Akasha, you have my word that I will make them her last" Another vicious snarl reverberated over the phone, like the crackling sound of thunder preceding a volatile storm. I nearly dropped my phone when the call was suddenly cut off. I tucked my phone back into my back pocket with a shaky hand.

"What did Akasha do to her?..." Rosalie asked quietly, I encircled her waist with my arms, cradling her against my chest. Trying to erase the cold chill left in Alexia's wake, the _Sicarri _was like a hurricane, you knew she was going to bring hell on earth at first glance, but what she left behind was a thousand times worse. "...Did Dana say anything?" She stared up at me with dark eyes, whispering softly to avoid any of our conversation being overheard.

"Just that my mother was supposed to marry another _Sicarri, _it was a political move apparently,but she found Elena well before the vows were exchanged. By refusing to honour the arrangement Akasha hurt Jodelleso badly she committed suicide and Alexia holds Akasha and Elena accountable for the loss. Dana said the three of them, Alexia, Akasha and Jodelle were best friends. In a way I understand why Alexia is so heartless, losing your two closest friends like that has got to be difficult, I will _never _condone what she has done, but neither I do I think she is entirely to blame, according to Dana, my mother wasn't exactly tactful when she was giving Jodelle the blow off. The whole thing is a huge mess and they both could have done things to smooth it over better..." Gently with one hand, I tilted her head up, forcing her to look into my eyes, flecks of bruised purple dotted her dusky coloured eyes and she was paler than usual. Only then did I realise why she'd asked, it was either focus on the news update or flip out completely over Alexia's fading words. I caressed her cheek, tenderly running my knuckles over her aristocratically high cheekbone.

"...Everything is gonna be fine, Rose, I'm going to make this okay" She blinked rapidly, as furious as I knew she was, feeling helpless could drain everything out of you, to the point you just wanted to curl into a ball under a duvet in a dark room and forget the world and the problems that come with it. I'm not going to let that happen to my mate. Shoving the fact I knew Victoria, Akasha and Eleazar were waiting for me downstairs, no doubt quizzing each other on what I could possible want from them, toward the back of my mind. I drew Rosalie impossibly closer, the sinful curves of her body pressed in me, moulding together like two puzzle pieces.

"With conviction like that, I'm going to take a safe bet and assume you managed to cook up some kind of plan with Dana?" She choked out, clinging to me tightly, even through my leather jacket I could feel her short fingernails bite into my shoulders while I stroked her back, tracing loving circles through her, off the shoulder styled, vivid emerald green top.

"Come on now, Victoria didn't raise no fool..." I drawled, earning myself a radiant smile, twinged with lingering sadness "...Like I said, Alexia is going to change for Ashley, I'm not going to give her a chance to do otherwise. Everything will work out for our family, I promise"

**TBC . . .**

**AN: Two more chapters, (maybe), to go until we reach the finish line, hard to believe isn't it?. Don't worry, you will get a satisfying amount of closure before the end, but not too much, seeing as I've already mapped out how the final chapter is going to link in with the Sequel. Now obviously the s****e****quel will be focused on Alexia and Ashley with plenty of Rosella mixed in and a side of Lucas with his own shenanigans, ****I'm open to suggestions on that front if you have anything you want to see****, ****and**** those of you who are still a little apprehensive about the Alexia/Ashley relationship, ****that was actually my intention all along, build**** tension**** y'know?, but**** I guarantee ****everything will eventually be resolved. ****Alright then that is it from me, ****until next time****, thoughts?.**


	42. Chapter 42

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything associated with the movies or the books, the only things I do take credit for are any Ocs and any mistakes ;p

**Chapter Forty Two, Bella's POV.**

It was just after 10AM when I strode into the Mansion's immense living room, having taken a quick shower with Rosalie, I'd changed into a pair of tight light grey slacks and a long-sleeved black cashmere sweater and walked my mate back to the twin's nursery with a promise that I'd be back with them soon. I closed the living room door behind me.

The heavy, maroon coloured, velvet drapes were drawn open from the floor-to-floor, triple glazed, gleaming window panes, that consumed the entire far side of the living room and proudly displayed the beautiful snow-covered scenery outside, the curtains were hooked back on solid twenty four carat gold curtain rings deeply embedded in the mahogany wall panelling, allowing the soft grey morning light to filter into the spacious room, touching the meticulously polished surfaces of the stylish, uniquely-crafted, oak furniture. Just as I'd asked of her before sunrise, Victoria had gathered Akasha and Eleazar, the three older Supernatural creatures rose up off one of the four plush black leather couches, that framed the glass coffee table, Alice's fashion magazines were strewn across the polished surface, and faced the silver, seventy two, inch flat screen T.V mounted on the wall above an oak cabinet specifically designed to hold all of the boy's beloved toys, like Emmett's X-box One and Jacob's Playstation 4.

I drifted to a stop behind one of the couches, directly opposite from the identical sofa my elders had just risen up from, the three stared back at me with the same inquisitive expression. I crossed my forearms and leaned on the back of the couch, I took a deep breath as I quietly glanced back at them. Victoria, standing tall between Akasha and Eleazar, stubbornly crossed her arms beneath her breasts, the silver bangles encircling her slender wrists chimed loudly as she unflinchingly returned my gaze. I felt my lips twitch amusedly, the redheaded vampire may not be saying anything aloud, but it was clear to me that she expected answers, in depth and soon. The unvoiced demand in Victoria's golden brown eyes made me feel like a human teenager being sternly interrogated by her mother after sneaking out after curfew. I shifted my neon blue eyes to Victoria's right, to Akasha. I clenched my oval shaped jaw, so tightly that I could feel a persistent tick form in both my cheeks, to prevent myself from noting out loud how much Dana resembled our mother. Both Fae were impressively tall, six-feet at the very least, a wealth of silken white blonde hair, several shades paler than platinum like snow, classically beautiful aristocratic features that didn't need the assistance of make-up to take someone's breath away. My chest seized with guilt as I stared back at my biological mother, I leaned more of my weight onto my forearms as the tense silence dragged out between the four of us.

Did I really have the right to keep Dana's secret?, I'd given my word that I would do so and I knew that if Akasha and Elena discovered the truth then they would be across the Atlantic as soon as modern transportation could make possible, but given that I viewed Victoria and Esme in a more familial light than I did my birth mothers, did I really have the right to keep two parents, my blood parents who obviously still mourned Dana's 'loss' after thousands of years, in the dark about their oldest daughter being alive, when they'd thought she was dead?. Was I about to ruin our chance of building bridges after all these years of estrangement?. Did I want to risk that opportunity?. Fuck, what the hell was I doing?. Everything had made so much more sense upstairs with Rosalie, there had been no unrelenting doubts with my lover close.

"Bella, sweetheart, what is wrong?" Victoria's perfectly shaped eyebrows furrowed into a concerned frown, her eyes darkened as they darted up toward the ceiling, doubtlessly recalling what had happened upstairs earlier, before her dark irises returned to me. I blinked rapidly, nibbling on my full lower lip, I realised, from the three worried glances I was getting from the other Supernaturals, that my eyes must have darkened with from the whirlpool of guilt and uncertainty my chaotic thoughts had submerged me in. I made an effort to smile reassuringly for them, but I had a feeling my smile looked more like a pained grimace. I straightened my back, pushing myself upright from the couch, I trailed my fingertips over the back of the leather sofa.

"This has something to do with Lexi, doesn't it?" Akasha tucked her hands into the back pockets of her dark pants, tilting her head softly, the other Fae's neon blue eyes gleamed dolefully. I may not agree with how my biological mother handled things with Jodelle and Alexia all those thousands of years ago, but I knew from the misery shinning in Akasha's eyes whenever Alexia's name came up that the older Fae genuinely regretted the loss of her two closest friends.

"Remember when the _Sicarri _came here?..." I breathed out, even in my own ears, my voice sounded husky, strained, though it was considerably easier to partially reconstruct that fateful night for them than it had been for me to do the same for Rosalie. I didn't fear their reaction to the news. I cleared my throat as each of the other three nodded almost in unison.

"...And Alexia held Ashley..." I lowered my voice to a whisper to avoid the others in the house from overhearing, I wanted to keep this quiet until my plans were a little more concrete in my own mind before I had a show and tell with the family. When Alice had renovated the living room she'd taken the liberty of installing soundproofing, with a Mansion full to bursting of Supernaturals it wasn't exactly going to tune out our conversation all that successfully, if the others really wanted to listen in then all they'd have to do was focus their acute senses, but the soundproofing would provide increased privacy and thankfully my family knew when to respect the other's secrecy. Hell, a little mystery was the perquisite of our World. Still, I maintained an almost inaudible tone, quieter than a human would be able to detect, as I spoke.

"...Lets just say, having an older mate is really fucking hot, but having an older daughter-in-law is plain _fucked up_" My mouth twisted into a bitter smirk. Victoria's eyes widened with shock, if it were possible, she seemed to grow more pale than was the norm for our kind, had she been human she probably would've passed out. Eleazar covered his mouth with his hand, bowing his head as he muttered apprehensively to himself rapidly in Spanish, or maybe it was Italian.

"Ashley is Lexi's mate?" Akasha echoed monotonously. Out of the three standing side by side across from me on the other side of the couch my biological mother was the hardest to read, but then, having lived for the better part of ten thousand years I suppose she had more than enough time to perfect her poker face. Or maybe it was just me, after all, I didn't know the older Fae all that well, besides our initial meeting and her training me to use my power we hadn't spent that much time together.

"Yes" I muttered, still trying to swallow that giant pill myself. But they needed to know about Alexia and Ashley, I wasn't going to chance them falling into a shock induced stupor when we arrived in Volterra, ready to face off with Aro and the Volturi guard, in forty six hours. Besides, it wasn't like keeping them in the dark about our most recent kick in the teeth was going to change anything. In an hour my daughter was still going to be the mate of a murderer. In a day Ashley was still going to be longing for Alexia to be near. But what was going to happen in two days time?, after Aro had been dealt with, and we were left in the Volturi compound with the _Sicarri?. _I forced that particular thought into a shatter-proof bottle and shoved toward the back of my mind, refusing to contemplate it any further, because nothing good was going to come from obsessing about that right now.

"She wasn't always...like...she is now." Akasha murmured absently, bringing me out of my thoughts. The tall blonde was miles away, locked in another place, in another time, sure she was talking to me, to them, but the words falling out of her mouth were reflexive. I found it odd that Akasha would instantly leap to defend Alexia, after the _Sicarri _had hunted the Fae as a race to the brink of extinction and Akasha was still under the impression that the _Sicarri _had murdered Dana, not to mention my biological parents had been forced to hand me over to the humans to be raised just so I could live a partially normal life away from danger. But I suppose Akasha was defending the memory of her childhood friend rather than vengeful creature Alexia has turned into.

"I don't want to hear it. As far as I'm concerned your past is just that, its dead and its buried. A hundred years ago, V, you were hell bent on killing me to avenge James and look at us now. When it comes down to it, the present is all that really matters..." I crossed my arms beneath my ample breasts, feeling the smooth soft slide of black cashmere over my back as my sweater pulled tight over my lithe, granite hard, muscles. Slowly I began to pace along the long length of the stylish yet homey living room, nearly twenty five yards wide, the family room was really too large and too grand to be considered _just_ a room, I suppose it should be viewed more as a hall. Gnawing on my lower lip, I determinedly reminded myself that no matter my personal unease with the idea of Ashley being mated to Alexia, there was still a chance that the vicious and cold _Sicarri _might change, revert back into the woman Akasha obviously remembered fondly. I knew that I would go mad if I lost sight of that hope, just as I'd said to comfort my distraught mate.

"...That philosophy is probably gonna bite me on the ass sooner or later, but whatever, I can't change things no matter how much I want to and it isn't up for discussion from this point on, I just told you because I figured you deserved to know. Anyway I asked you guys here because I need information, and you're the most knowledgeable people around"

"You're definitely sure you don't want to talk about..." Victoria trailed off after I sent a pointed look her way.

"...Maybe later then" The tall redhead sighed, seeming to collect herself. I smiled at my vampire mother, sometimes Victoria was like a dog with a bone, worse on occasion, but she knew me and she knew when to drop the subject, even if she did have every intention of coming right back after a moment's respite and snatching it up again before the dust could settle. It was one of the things I loved _and_ hated about her, one way or another Victoria always got the bottom of the barrel, even if things got broken in the process.

"What can we help you with Bella?" Eleazar dropped his hand down from his face, in his charcoal coloured, tailored suit he looked every inch like a scientist or a doctor minus the white lab coat. While he wasn't the oldest vampire in the Mansion, far from it, but he soaked up info like a sponge absorbs water.

"I was wondering if you'd ever heard of something called a Binding Stone?" I glanced cautiously at Akasha, expecting the older Fae to instantly pounce on the fact I shouldn't know anything about something belonging to the _Sicarri's _culture. Rosalie and I had come up with an excuse if Akasha did become suspicious, but it seemed needless at present, my biological mother had wondered over toward the far side of the living room, her back towards me, looking sightlessly out the floor-to-floor windows.

"Binding Stone?. That sounds like something a Mage would use. Don't you think?" Victoria murmured thoughtfully, tapping the slender forefinger of her elegant right hand against her full lower lip before glancing sideways at Eleazar to confirm her theory. I leaned my forearms on the back of the couch again, waiting for Eleazar to speak.

"I'd say its definitely something from their species, Mages are creatures of magic and they do use most odd ingredients, unheard of in the human world, to cast their spells, but I don't think its something they'd _use. _I am not sure, but I think its something they would create to maintain a spell over a long period of time, perhaps" Eleazar mused. I stayed expressionless, not entirely sure whether or not it would be a good idea to tell them that they weren't revealing anything new to me, I didn't want to accidentally draw Dana into the conversation, even if Akasha was in a world of her own by the window, the cover-story wouldn't quite deal with those red flags.

"I'll bet you've never said that before, aren't you suppose to be Mr. Know-It-All around here Eleazar?" I drawled with a teasing smirk, while trying to ignore my internal clock ticking down the seconds until I had to arrange for a flight out to Italy, among other things. Eleazar chuckled to himself, almost bashfully. I saw Victoria grin playfully at him, in that instant she reminded me of a great white shark, I could only imagine how often she was going to tease him about this. It wasn't everyday the Egghead in the family admitted he wasn't a hundred per cent certain about something.

"It has been said many times, though I try to discourage it. There is nothing worse than than being unable to help someone you hold dear..." He humbly acknowledged with an accepting inclination of his dark head.

"...But there is an easy way to clear this mess up. I need to retrieve something from my study, would you three meet me in the foyer?, I'll just take a second" Eleazar strode gracefully toward the closed living room door, his hands entwined together at the base of his spine.

"Don't say anything to Carmen just yet, I want to speak with everyone together, later" I was asking a lot from the guy, Fae, Vampire or Shifter the instinctive, undeniable urge to tell your mate everything, so that they were prepared to face whatever was coming by your side, whether it was something as small as you going out for a drive or spotting a freaking army of rage demons marching on your house. Prickly little bastards, rage demons. Eleazar froze across the room, his hand gripping the solid gold door handle so tightly I was surprised it didn't crumble under his clenched palm, as it was I could hear a metallic grinding sound ring out through the large rectangular shaped room.

"She is out grocery shopping for the shifters anyway" He finally nodded his acquiescence, forcing a small smile and unsuccessfully attempting to conceal a shiver of unease with the idea.

I winced sympathetically, he was going to feel like a troupe of fire-ants were crawling all over him until later. Esme knew something was up, which was why Victoria seemed more comfortable with the idea of waiting for our show and tell than Eleazar, still there was a tense air about the redhead, if Victoria were less disciplined she would've already darted upstairs to be with her mate. I felt the same need clenching in my stomach, like a fist mercilessly twisting my insides until it felt like I was being torn asunder, my inner animal and my more rational side were in solid agreement that I had spent far too much time away from Rosalie and our twins. An entire night separated from them, spent instead with Dana, and only a few stolen moments with my mate since returning to the Mansion really wasn't enough to satisfy me or my inner Fae. I'd give my right arm for the world to stop spinning for an hour or two, so I could just _be _with Rosalie, hold her, talk with her and not about the _Sicarri, _we'd already done enough of that to last a lifetime_, _but about the future, our future that we hadn't had a proper chance to discuss, like what we were going to be doing next week, plan our first family outing with the twins, or something way into the future like schools and colleges for Ashley and Lucas, would that even be a possibility until they were old enough to have a firm handle on their impulses?, or maybe we could ask Eleazar to tutor them. I sighed harshly, knowing without a shadow of a doubt that normal, beautifully mundane, life with Rosalie and the twins was going to have to simmer on the back-burner, for now. But I would keep my promise, no matter how daunting things seemed right now, I _was_ going to make things work out for us, I've had it up to my eyeballs with unwanted surprises getting in the way of a peaceful life with my family.

"C'mon V, you heard the man" I tilted my head toward the door. Victoria started for the entrance, just pausing long enough to touch an elegant hand to my upper arm over my dark long-sleeved cashmere sweater. I glanced back my vampire mother, waiting for what I knew was coming, Victoria leaned into my side to whisper in my ear gently.

"I'd of thought after a century living together under the same roof, you'd have learned not to try and bullshit me Missy" She growled determinedly. Our eyes, mine a shade of bruised purple and hers like obsidian from our various states of unease and worry, locked. Her long fingers tightened around my lithely defined bicep, with adequate force to break a human's arm but not enough to truly hurt me.

"Oh when have I ever..." I drawled sarcastically, knowing full well she probably documented every single occasion. Victoria arched her eyebrow silently, though I could read a hint of an affectionate smile playing at the corner of her mouth. I glanced at Akasha, still staring blindly out the living room window, into the thick blank snow. If I were to throw one of the crystal vases, perched on a small square table beside the couch I leaned on, displaying one of Esme's flawless arrangements of variously coloured tulips, dahlias, lilies and other greenery, at Akasha's head, would she notice the projectile in time to catch it?. Not that I actually would. But I'm guessing the older Fae wouldn't, she was still lost in her memories, painful or happy?, that was something I couldn't answer outright.

"...Look, I'm still trying to make sense of everythin' in my own noggin, so back off until I do"

"I can't help you if I don't know precisely what is goin' on Bells" Victoria pressed in a whisper, cocking her head insistently. I calmly reached up with my hand, slowly encircling her slender wrist with my long fingers, I lifted my head expectantly, challengingly, wondering if she was going to finally take the hint or if I was actually going to have to gently pry her hand from my upper arm.

"And I can't tell you right now..." I growled frustratedly through gritted teeth "...So drop it for now, please"

"Fine..." Victoria relented with a harsh scowl, letting go of my arm as I released her wrist. I inhaled deeply as we stared back at each other, silently I willed her to understand my unvoiced promise, that I would tell her about Dana, about my plan of action when we got to Volterra, but only when there was absolutely no chance of Akasha or Elena overhearing. Victoria nodded softly, a barely discernible bird-like motion, and I released the breath I was holding on a prolonged sigh of relief.

"...I'll be in the foyer" Victoria glided passed me. I watched her go, only turning my attention toward Akasha when my vampire mother had disappeared out the living room door. I steeled myself, before stalking toward the older and taller Fae, I tried not to notice how loud my footsteps, falling against the hardwood flooring, sounded in my own ears as I drew closer to my biological mother, like a hammer striking nails into a coffin. I cleared my throat and hesitantly touched a hand to the platinum blonde's lower back. Swiftly retracting my palm when she involuntarily jerked in surprise. The long waist-length fall of her snow-white hair framed her face, a few silky tendrils were pinned back with diamond pins, the air of frosty confidence that normally surrounded her was strangely absent for the moment, though hints of her invulnerable amour were still there to be read by the black, tailored, pin-striped pant-suit that proudly displayed her feminine form. She looked like a lawyer, or a powerful executive.

"Earth to Akasha, are you in there?" I joked weakly, tucking my hands into the front pockets of my pencil-grey, form-fitting, slacks. She turned her head toward me, her agelessly flawless face was blank of any expression, so much so that I almost felt like a stranger in her emotion darkened eyes, even the whites of her eyes were beginning to give way to darkness, something I knew only happened to a Fae when we were about to lose control. For a long tense moment, neither of us said a thing, which only seemed to add another layer of enmity to the current situation. I felt myself frown slightly when Akasha lifted her gracefully shaped hand up toward my face, though I remained still as she ghosted her soft fingertips over the line of my jaw.

"You look so much like Elena..." Her eyes warmed, slowly her dark irises began to lighten, the darkness there ebbed and swirled until they were almost neon blue once again. She dropped her hand down from my face, letting her palm rest at her side.

"...I never wanted to hurt Jodie, or Lexi. They were like my siblings. I loved them as my sisters. But I couldn't marry Jodelle, she wasn't my heart, the sun didn't rise and fall with her and she didn't make me feel like the world would end if she walked out of my life, even for a second. But if I had married her none of this would've happened. _I_ made Lexi what she is. _I_ turned her against me. _I_ set her loose on our race, the race _I_ was supposed to rule wisely, and I've gotten near enough all of them killed"

"The mate bond cannot be denied or broken, by anyone or anything, period. Any idiot knows that and Alexia doesn't strike me as an idiot. You didn't make her slaughter our race, she did that all by herself, so I suggest you get a refund on that ticket to guilt mountain because this class isn't taking a field-trip there today" I tilted my head up at her, crossing my arms beneath my ample breasts. When I saw a hint of composure inject itself back into her eyes, and that aura of cool confidence I'd come to associate with her suddenly solidified itself around her, I nodded to myself and turned on my boot heels, heading toward the open living room door.

"How did you know about the _Áthrafstos?" _Akasha asked behind me, there was no suspicion in her melodic voice, just a genuine curiosity that I found oddly assuasive.

"Someone is gonna have to teach me how to pronounce that" I forced a smile, bringing the cover-story Rosalie and I had come up with onto the tip of my tongue, as I tilted my head over my shoulder, to look at my biological mother blankly.

"Say it like it sounds, or simply refer to it as the Binding Stone, though from what I remember it doesn't look like a stone at all, more like a ball of swirling energy, if you could imagine that" Akasha murmured thoughtfully.

"You've seen it?" I stared back at her, wide-eyed. The image she described was more than a little vague, but I'll bet the Binding Stone is an awe-inspiring sight, hopefully Akasha could remember where she had last seen it, Dana and Soren hadn't been able to supply much information about it's location, or how to destroy it. But I pray to whatever God was out there that Akasha and Eleazar knew how, or could figure out how, to demolish it, or at least had an idea that I could improvise with.

"Alexia trusted me once..." My biological mother sighed wistfully "...The _Áthraftos_ was housed at the heart of the _Sicarri's _homeland, and before you start up, I grantee Lexi would've moved it after the Great Purge. But you didn't answer me"

"Alexia told me about the Stone back when she was handing me my own ass in the forest" I lied smoothly. An instant wave of guilty ruefulness came over me like a violent typhoon when I saw something akin to hope, hope that her childhood best friend wanted to change, blossom in Akasha's eyes, her irises reverted completely back into their natural colour, brilliant neon blue. I hate lying to her to like this, I hated lying in general because, at the end of the day, all lying did was create big ass rifts between people and sticky problems that require more and more bullshit to get out of, but if Akasha and Elena find out about Dana prematurely, they will get themselves killed confronting Alexia and the other _Sicarri _without a powerful deterrent at the ready_, _andthat was a fact. But if I could destroy the Binding Stone, make Alexia _see _beyond her deep-seated hatred and centuries old grief, then maybewe can reach a stalemate in the future for Ashley's sake. I may not know much about the _Sicarri _as a race, but the instincts of a mated creature were always the same, Alexia's new mating aptitudes wouldn't allow her to hurt my daughter in any regard, or, by extension, any of the people that Ashley loved. Now I don't know if Alexia and Akasha will ever be friends again, or even be on comfortable speaking terms, but I am going to do everything I can to keep my entire family safe. Including bare-faced lying, as much as I resent myself for doing it.

* * *

><p>The air around me thrummed potently when I stepped out of the living room, giving Akasha a moment to compose herself, the sensitive back of my neck tingled vibrantly, sending pleasant shivers all over my pale, granite hard, skin. I turned right, and hurriedly strode down the wide, luxuriously furnished, hallway until the expansive, elaborately decorated, foyer came into view. Victoria lazily paced back and forth in front of the reinforced front door, taking variously spaced steps as if to contain her boredom while she waited for Eleazar to rejoin us.<p>

But my vampire mother wasn't the reason for the sudden warmth pooling in my chest and expanding outward like an efficacious fire warding off the icy cold of an Arctic winter. I eagerly rounded the regally curved oak bannister, and glanced up the polished mosaic stairs with a tender, if not downright sappy, smile plastered across my face. The sound of light footsteps, not belonging to Victoria, filled my ears until every other sound was effectively drowned out. I could hear her drawing closer, could sense her graceful gait from the mere sound of her footfalls upstairs, or maybe it was the fact I'd memorised her movements to the extent I could envision the confident, seductive, sway of her slender hips though I'd yet to lay eyes on her picturesque form.

I bolted up the long staircase, moving far too fast for a vampire, much less a human, to catch blurring up the gleaming stairway, unable to contain myself any longer, an instinctive hunger to drink in the breathtaking visage of my beautiful mate. I reached the top of the mosaic stairs, the short hallway that stretched out in front of me was, predictably, richly furnished, priceless artwork, collected by Tanya, Irina, and Kate over the thousand years they'd been alive, proudly adorned the walls on either side, the ornate golden frames were spaced exactly twelve inches apart, the high thread-count, beige coloured, carpet beneath my boots greatly complimented the rich burgundy shade of the hallways, wide enough that four men Jacob's immense size could easily stand shoulder to shoulder.

I strode down the hall, listening to Rosalie's light encroaching footsteps gliding closer toward me, from the sounds I knew Esme, Chelsea and Maria were with her. When the plush corridor before me divided, in three directions like a crossroad, I rounded the left corner, and followed the hallway down passed Alice and Leah's room, the back of my neck tingled with the acute awareness of my mate nearly in my sights, sending a resulting shiver over my entire body, up and down my spine, over my shoulders, down my arms, every inch of my body thrummed right to my very core. Further down the hall, there was another intersection of corridors, sometimes I genuinely forgot how much the Mansion's upper floors resembled an intricate labyrinth, my breath caught in the back of my throat when the scent of Freesia and Jasmine floated toward me on the light breeze, there must be a window opened somewhere close by I deduced. Maybe in Seth and Alec's bedroom.

The breath I held left my lips on an audibly rumbling purr that resounded in my chest, throat and collarbones when Rosalie swept around the right corner down the hall with such effortless grace, all Supernaturals seemed to possess that unnatural elegance, but only Rosalie had the ability to captivate my senses so fully that everything else in the world faded into an ugly dull grey hue while she remained the one beacon of beautiful light. The sight of my angelic mate, dressed in a vibrant emerald green halter-necked, long sleeved top that hugged itself tightly to her upper body, clinging to her slender shoulders and lithe arms, displaying a modest about of her delectable cleavage and showcased her hard flat stomach. The white khaki pants Rosalie wore settled low on her lean hips and moulded to her mile-long, taut legs, a small sliver of her lower abdomen was left bare between the waistband of my mate's pants and top. I could hear my involuntary purr grow louder in volume when my eyes settled on Rosalie's hauntingly beautiful face, her eyes were a mixture of neon blue and inky black, signalling to me that she was still extremely uneasy about everything occurring around us, my mate's sculpted, patrician, facial features gave Rosalie such sheer mesmeric beauty that really couldn't be captured with mere words, no matter how hard I'd tried in the past to do just that, even by Supernatural standards, my lover was stunning. I smiled tenderly when I noticed the small bundle cradled on Rosalie's shoulder, one of my mate's elegant hands supported the back of Ashley's blonde head, the same shade of blonde as Rosalie's long silken tresses framing my mate's face like shimmering halo, Rosalie's other hand took most of our one month old daughter's rump. I stalked down the plush hall, toward Rosalie while Esme, with Lucas carefully cradled in her arms, Chelsea and Maria, hand in hand, rounded the corner to join us, I felt a frown tug my dark eyebrows downward when I noted how the twins were clothed, no longer were the little Fae dressed for bed, but for going out into the cold day.

"You planning on going somewhere, Rose?" When I at last reached my mate, I gently pressed my hand to Ashley's little back, over her equally small coat, my eldest twin cooed on Rosalie's slender shoulder, a solemn mournful sound. I tilted my head quizzically at my tall blonde mate, slowly I began to stroke Ashley's back when our baby uttered a sharp cry, turning her head on my mate's shoulder as if searching for something, or someone. I leaned closer to the two, reaching out to lovingly stroke her lithe arm, offering comfort, when I watched my lover flinch in response to our daughter's whimper.

"I'm praying that Alexia's scent might still linger in the forest..." Rosalie inclined her head toward our baby girl, pressing a soft kiss to the top of Ashley's blonde head as she leaned closer into my warmth.

"...She is going to make herself sick if she doesn't stop crying, and I was thinking that if Ashley caught Alexia's scent then maybe she'd settle for a little while. At least long enough for a feed, I'd be less worried then" I nodded slowly, seeing the sense in Rosalie's wise suggestion, but instantly deciding that they weren't going outside the Mansion without me, I knew the _Sicarri _were in Volterra, Dana and Soren were on their way to Italy even now, but I wasn't about to let my mate and our children venture out where something could go terribly wrong. Definitely not, the idea was preposterous. I grimaced indecisively to myself, I urgently needed whatever information Eleazar had on the Binding Stone, if any, or whatever he had on Mages and magic so that I could devise how to find and destroy the Stone. But I needed to be with them just as much. I refocused on Rosalie's beautiful face when she adoringly nuzzled my cheek with her own, I noticed for the first time that her eyes had lightened, returning slowly to neon blue, since she'd seen me, my low purr grew louder, soon the low rumbling leaving my chest was joined by hers.

"What about Lucas, is he feeding properly?" I murmured, concerned for both the twins. Glancing over Rosalie's shoulder towards Esme, I found the petite vampire was softly crooning to my son as he stared up at her with a bemused little grin plastered on his angelic face.

"More regularly than Ashley is, but not as often as either of them need to. They've had eight feeds in the past twenty four hours, when they need to be eating every two like clockwork..." Rosalie muttered, with a deep worried frown. It was then that I noticed how tense the supple muscles in her arm had grown beneath my hand, I could feel them softly rippling beneath my long fingers.

"...I guess he is picking up on her mood" My mate sighed, her eyes darkening once again. Ashley whimpered loudly, as if to confirm what his mother had just concluded, I glimpsed over Rosalie's shoulder as, Lucas glanced away from Esme, toward his sister, my youngest twin gave a troubled gurgle.

"Certainly looks that way. Come on, lets see if we can't track Alexia's scent..." I stroked the back of Ashley's head, before I stepped aside and gently urged Rosalie on ahead of me. Eleazar, Victoria and Akasha knew what to look for, I am sure if I asked they would follow whatever lead Eleazar had ready, I nibbled on my lower lip, completely torn between rationality and instinct. Rosalie glided just passed me a few steps, glancing imploringly over her shoulder at me. I smiled lovingly for my mate, before I twisted my attention back toward Esme and Lucas.

"Hey little man..." I breathed out with a grin when my son held his little arms out to me, demanding that I hold him. I carefully scooped the tiny Fae out of my adoptive mother's arms and into my own, he quickly tucked his head under my chin, I couldn't help but laugh when a small purr came, not from me, but from my one month old son, like a kitten's purr, not overly loud, but I could feel his entire body almost vibrate with the action. Out my peripheral vision I saw Chelsea, standing just beyond Esme in the hall, look up at Maria, the husky growl that escaped the petite yet shapely blonde vampire reminded me that the two were newly mated, and likely wanted to get back to their bedroom for a little more 'bonding time'.

"...You two can go if you want, thanks for staying with them" I nodded gratefully.

"You're welcome Bella, come _mi amor, _lets go and play" Maria drawled seductively, the tall Latina took her older, but shorter, mate's hand in hers and dragged Chelsea down the corridor, passed Esme, passed me and Rosalie until they were gone from view and weaving their way through the Mansion's various twists and turns toward their bedroom.

"Who'd have thought those two weren't even together a week ago" Esme smiled, widely, to herself, looking every inch the proud mother even though Chelsea and Maria were several centuries older than herself.

"Gotta love biology..." I grinned wolfishly, feeling Lucas wriggle a little in my arms. Abruptly I became very aware of Victoria's pacing downstairs, especially when I heard Akasha and Eleazar join the redheaded vampire in the foyer.

"...You coming downstairs?" I tilted my head, gesturing down the corridor.

"Of course, after all I need to make a start on the cleaning. I'm pretty sure there is a rather large mess in the kitchen after Alice's cooking class earlier..." Esme fondly rolled her golden brown eyes, beginning to make her way passed me "...And then there is the rest of the house, the garage, and I have to water the plants, the list goes on and on"

"Well nobody makes the house sparkle quite like you do mom" Rosalie drawled with a syrupy sweet smile as Esme approached her. I chuckled my agreement as I followed after the petite vampire, with Lucas cradled in my arms, happily gurgling away to himself.

"Flatterer..." Esme accused with a warm motherly smile aimed at my mate "...But yes, you're right" Rosalie's utterly amused smirk widened. When I reached my mate, we leisurely strolled through the Mansion's vast upper floor, side by side so close that our arms brushed together with each step we took, even that small connection with my lover made tender warmth blossom in my chest. The twins cooed to each other, and for once Lucas was more animated than his sister, but that was to be expected given Ashley's distressed mood. Esme maintained an easy pace ahead of us, but I noticed that she moved a lot quicker the closer we got to the grand mosaic staircase, she was clearly eager to be with Victoria.

"Are you ready to go?" Eleazar murmured, clasping his hands together behind his back patiently, as Rosalie and I descended the staircase together.

"About that-" I started to say we'd have to 'go', wherever he wanted me to go, later, after I'd tried to track down Alexia's scent for Ashley, but Rosalie spoke before I could even finish. God I love it when she is assertive.

"Are you taking them to the library Eleazar?" Rosalie cocked her head while she gently patted Ashley's back comfortingly.

"That is the plan" Eleazar nodded as he turned around and opened the front door for us all.

"You're not talking about a public library, right?" Victoria arched an eyebrow sardonically as she tightly wrapped her arms around Esme's slender waist, their subsequent purrs of contentment were loud in the elaborate marble foyer.

"Eleazar has his own private library..." Rosalie explained, smirking at Victoria, a brief glance at the male vampire prompted her further "...Every single book in there was accurately copied from the Volturi's private archives which are only available to Aro, Caius and Marcus. Unfortunately even Eleazar couldn't memorise hundreds of thousands of books, if not more, word for word, so we only have access to maybe a tenth of the Volturi's library. Still, I think that is pretty damn impressive" She smirked as Eleazar rocked back onto the balls of his feet, if he was human he'd be blushing, I just knew it. It was amusing, at any other time he was indifferent to almost everything, but pay the guy a compliment and he'd grow as shy as you like.

"Got that right" I stared at Eleazar, slightly wide-eyed with amazement, I couldn't imagine how much hard work and persistence he'd had to put in to memorise the exact information from _that _many books, sure he was immortal and he'd have all the time in the world to complete the task, but the same could be said for me and I seriously doubt I'd have the continuity to finish the job, I'd probably lose interest unless I was looking for something specific.

"Yes, well, even when I was one of their guards, I always thought it was wrong to keep such valuable information and true parts of history from the rest of the race. So I began making my own records of events as they occurred and reproducing those already there, but you would not believe the sheer enormity of their library. In the end I prioritised everything there, copying what I thought were the more pressing tomes, there is an entire section on magic. I just hope it'll be of some use" Eleazar cleared his throat.

"I'll be able to fill in most of the contextual blanks if needed, I know a fair amount about the history of Mage-kind, but I have tried to steer clear of magic_" _Akasha said softly, her upper lip curled slightly, conveying to me that she clearly found the subject of magic to be distasteful, though I couldn't say why.

"Well alright then..." Victoria nodded, cuddling Esme close to herself for the simple enjoyment of holding her mate close. It was unsurprising how relaxed, almost playful, the redhead was now that Esme was within her immediate proximity, but it wouldn't be long until she was trying to pull answers out of me again, like a dentist pulls teeth.

"...Lets get out of here, the sooner we scour what sounds like every librarian's wet dream for clues the sooner I can get back to watching my woman bending over the furniture with a feather duster in hand" Victoria wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. I watched amusedly as she pressed a loving kiss to the top of Esme's head, the redhead swiftly turned on her heel, toward the open front door, just as Esme gasped with outrage and promptly slapped Victoria's ass as the redhead tried to make her escape.

"Oh my poor backside!..." Victoria groaned dramatically and almost fell out the door "...Its worse with her hand than it is with the paddle!" She called from out on the stone porch, swathed in a layer of ice and snow. Akasha chuckled liltingly to herself and followed after the redheaded clown, with Eleazar close behind.

"I have never used a..." Esme immediately began to defend herself. I gazed sideways at Rosalie, my beautiful mate nibbled on her full pink lower lip softly to conceal the breath taking smile I could plainly see playing at the corner of her sensuously sculpted mouth as she continued to stroke Ashley's little back.

"Hey whatever goes on in the privacy of your own bedroom between two consenting adults is hardly anything to do with us" I drawled teasingly, making my way toward the front door with Lucas' soft, tiny body cradled against the black cashmere sweater covering my ample chest.

"Agreed, although when the domestic discipline is going on, you might want to tie a silk scarf to the door handle or something because there is no way I wanna be accidentally walkin' in on that" Rosalie quipped with a coltish wink. I laughed, watching Esme's mouth silently fall open and closed in a short manner of seconds, indignity shinning in her golden brown eyes. I grinned at the mirthful glint gleaming in my mate's beautiful eyes as she walked toward me, the epitome and embodiment of feminine grace.

"But I didn't...I haven't..." Esme persisted innocently, lifting her hands to stress her point. I slowly meandered out the front door, out onto the porch, I spotted Victoria, Akasha and Eleazar standing nearby in the snow blanketed lawn, talking quietly amongst themselves, I could just about hear them discussing their own knowledge and experiences with magic over the centuries they'd all been alive. I turned my back on them momentarily, gazing back into the foyer as I waited for Rosalie to join me outside. Lucas stared up at me and happily gurgled, patiently waiting for his mother and sister while he toyed with the ends of my dark hair in his small hand.

"See you later Esme" I grinned coquettishly at my adoptive vampire mother, as my mate and our baby daughter drew close, a fresh wave of Freesia and Jasmine washed over me, bathing my sharp senses in the lulling sweetness of their scents.

"Love you Esme" Rosalie chimed, her melodic tone of voice adopting a lilted amusement, as she elegantly stepped outside into the chilly Alaskan air.

* * *

><p>Ever since moving to the Mansion, I don't think I've ever actually taken the time to truly admire the surrounding scenery. The terrain wasn't exactly stable, given the wealth of protruding rock through the thick layers of snow and dangerous ice patches, but the sight of Mount McKinley, the highest peak in North America, shrouded by the bright blue morning sky, for the moment, absent of any clouds, really was quite stunning. The Denali wilderness really was one of those incredibly impressive sights that you just couldn't get out of your mind, or stop talking about, for the first several days, if not weeks, after first witnessing it, and even then, you'd always want to go back and relive the experience. Of course, given that Winter was well on the way, and all the human visitors to the National park would only be able to move around via snowmobiles I suppose only a Supernatural creature could really appreciate this beautiful example of serene nature. And I just loved that the twins got to see it on their first outing, Lucas' kidnapping aside.<p>

"So why exactly is the library detached from the house?" I curiously glanced sideways at Rosalie, feeling my breath catch in the back of my throat as I stared at my mate, holding Ashley against her chest and shoulder while Lucas complacently toyed with the silken ends of my long dark hair.

Like I said the Denali wilderness _was_ stunning, but Rosalie was a thousand times far more exquisite than anything else in the world. I don't know how many times I've thanked The Powers That Be for gifting me a woman like Rosalie for my life partner, or how many times I've been blind-sided by how much I love her, but I suppose that is what makes our matings different from human relationships. When humans grew tired of their other half, they walked away, they cheated, they fell out of love and then went in search of someone else to love, or they just let themselves get stuck in the passionless rut of routine. Humans rarely love one person for life. But the laws of nature ensured we mated for eternity, we are only capable of loving one person, truly, perpetually and unconditionally.

"Its just a precaution..." Rosalie breathed out, her melodic voice soft like angelic chimes that sent shivers of awareness all over my flesh.

"...You can't backup paper. And Strangely enough Eleazar was totally against the idea of digitalising any of the books when the technology became available back in the day, so Tanya had the library built away from the main house just in the case of a freak accident" She explained slowly, slightly rearranging Ashley's little body against her upper chest, our daughter whimpered gently, before she resettled her tiny head on her mother's slender shoulder.

"Do you know the way there?" I murmured, looking ahead for a moment, watching Eleazar, Akasha and Victoria swiftly glide through the forest several paces out in front. We hadn't yet strayed that far from the Mansion, and if Rosalie and I were going to track Alexia's scent we were going to have to break off from this little convoy.

"Sure do, its actually built into the Wyoming Hills, but its off the beaten trail and the entrance is hidden behind a massive mound of jagged rocks so even if an overly curious human hiker did somehow come across it, they wouldn't see anything out of the ordinary..." Rosalie smiled a little as we walked side by side with our young children snuggled up to us.

"...One thing you've got to love about our World, it comes with a wealth of intrigue"

"'Intrigue', that is a polite way of putting it babe..." I drawl sarcastically, earning myself a melodious laugh from the gorgeous blonde Fae walking alongside me.

"...Hell I'll bet we've got more nooks and crannies hidden throughout the world than the all the freaking Secret Services combined. Though membership in our club does have its privileges if you can just get over the necessity for secrecy" I muttered.

"Well what do you expect Bella?, we can't exactly leave important pieces of our World laying around in the theirs in case they get their paws on them and they realise that vampires actually do exist. That is how massacres of their kind happen" Rosalie murmured.

"Yeah..." I sighed softly "...Anyway, I only asked because I figured we should try to pick up on Alexia's scent before we head over to the library. It'll be easier to get through all of Eleazar's prized collection if Ashley is settled first."

"We should go then, because we've got a lot of work to do by tonight" Rosalie lifted her head as she drew to a stop in the middle of the icy path. I nodded my agreement as I paused also, internally I listed all the things we needed to accomplish as soon as possible, as a matter of vital urgency;

Track Alexia's scent for Ashley.

Scour Eleazar's library for information on the Binding Stone.

Get the rest of the family up-to-date with the shit-uation we were in.

Ask Irina to cook up some forged passports.

Arrange for a flight out to Volterra.

Pack our bags

And endure the longest flight of our fucking lives without going insane.

"Victoria!, Akasha!..." I called out to the elder women, within a split second the two females were suddenly appearing in front of Rosalie and myself.

"Would you three mind going on ahead of us?, maybe make a start on the books?. We've got something we need to do" Trying not to get too bogged down by the prospect of getting everything done and prepared by tonight, there was no telling how much time each factor would require all on it's lonesome.

"Course we don't mind, do we Akasha?" Victoria nudged the tall pale haired blonde next to her.

"No we don't. We'd rather there weren't anymore surprises down the line though, right Victoria?" Akasha looked down at the redheaded vampire.

"Now that you mention it..."

"We're going to try and track Alexia's scent, to see if that doesn't sooth Ashley a little" Rosalie stated firmly.

"That is a good idea but you won't be able to detect it unless you already know what you're looking for and even then the chances of actually picking it up are unlikely..." Akasha interjected with a sigh. I shared a confounded frown with my beloved lover, inadvertently prompting my biological mother to expand.

"...The _Sicarri _are a race of hunters, they're trained how to mask their scents from a young age and no one was ever better at it then Lexi. But if there is a chance her scent is lingering here in the forest, my bet is that you will find it at the site where you punted her through a tree"

"Which she just shook off like I'd pushed her through a sheet of sugar paper..." I bit out bitterly. I shook my head, ridding myself of the memory, when I heard Rosalie growl to herself, a dangerously low rumble filled vehement hatred for our daughter's mate, she caught herself when Ashley mewled softly into her shoulder.

"...But thanks for the pointer though." I smiled gratefully up at Akasha.

"Its what I'm here for..." My biological mother smiled dotingly "...When you get near the perimeter of the site let Ashley guide you from there, if Lexi's scent lingers then it will be extremely faint, if not undetectable, and you will probably miss it, but you can bet that Ashley will recognise it before you get the opportunity to walk passed it"

* * *

><p>The weak, grey sunlight had begun to filter in through the trees as Rosalie and I leisurely circled back around toward the Mansion, the site where I'd gotten in my one lucky shot against Alexia was roughly about a kilometre out from the west side of the property. And it had been a lucky shot, I had been as much use as a baby bird with a broken wing in my all too brief fight with the <em>Sicarri, <em>it was only after Alexia had threatened to go after Rosalie inside the house with our children present that I had managed to muster an offensive, and even then the _Sicarri _had shaken it off with such ease I might as well of just poked her in the shoulder. I knew that I was a thousand times stronger than any vampire or shifter regardless of their age, so being tossed around like a half-dead mouse in the clutches of a cat hadn't just been frustrating, it had been down-right frightening.

"What are we going to do if Alexia's scent isn't there?" Rosalie whispered, she spoke calmly, but I could sense the undertone of genuine fear concealed within her melodic tone. Fear that we wouldn't be able to help Ashley. Fear that our baby girl would continue to work herself up over the, obviously painful, separation between herself and her mate. Fear that our daughter would fail to feed adequately. Fear that Ashley would greatly suffer both mentally and physically unless we could do_ something._

"It'll be there..." I assured my mate. Lucas made a soft noise in the back of his throat, I peeked down at my son, finding him still playing with the ends of my hair like a kitten toys with a ball of yarn. I grinned helplessly when I saw him smile up at me brightly.

"...I don't care what she has been taught to do, you can't get pitched through a tree without leaving something behind. It just isn't possible" I insisted, with renewed optimism from my son's little smile, when I all but saw the wave of disbelief washing over my lover. I can't blame her for being pessimistic, after all the shit that has been thrown at us from every fucking direction in rapid fucking succession I have to admit that I share in Rosalie's demoralisation. But I'm not going to let it get us down.

"You're right..." Rosalie closed her dark eyes for a moment, her beautifully long blonde eyelashes shadowed her gorgeous cheekbones as she took a deep steadying breath, before her eyes fluttered open once again. I smiled with alleviation and satisfaction when I noticed they were shinning neon blue.

"...I'm just over-thinking, as usual" She sighed shakily and pulled Ashley higher on her ample chest so she could brush her lips over the little Fae's forehead.

"Do you need a distraction, babe?" I wiggled my eyebrows suggestively, letting a small growl rumble up from deep in my chest. I grinned widely as when my mate stared with incredulity at me as we drew closer to the site in the snow-covered forest surrounding the Mansion on all sides for as far as the eye can see.

"What did you have in mind?" Rosalie retorted, arching one of her perfectly shaped blonde eyebrows as a slow but slightly uncertain smirk began to play at the corner of her sensuously sculpted mouth. I sidled closer to my mate as while blindly forging a path through layers of ice and snow and around tall, ancient trees. When our arms brushed together, I leaned slightly to whisper into the delicate shell of her ear.

"Hows about a game of 'I Spy'?..." I murmured, as though my suggestion revolved around something far less innocent, my voice dripped with sarcasm. I was rewarded with a light, lilting, laugh that fell from Rosalie's soft lips, that felt much softer than the inside petals of a newly bloomed rich red rose.

"...Well its not like we can play 'Hide and Seek', now is it?. And I draw the line at 'Foxes and Hounds'" I shake my head slowly, feigning indignation at the mere thought.

And still the sweetest, softest sound I'd ever heard rang out from those perfect lips, curled into a joyful grin. I felt like I could explode from sheer happiness at making my mate laugh, from seeing all of the worry plaguing her melt away into nothing. It was a wondrous sight to behold. Ahead of us, the trees gave way slightly, like mourners at a funeral paying their last respects to their deceased friend, and I could see the fallen oak that had been cleanly ripped free of it's thick roots, rupturing the ground beneath it until a four foot ditch was all that was left in it's wake, when Alexia's back had smashed into the middle of it's three metre wide trunk.

"There it is..." Rosalie whispered, her laughter fading though the cloud of despair formerly gripping her had also ebbed away. My mate inclined her head, peeking down at our daughter while Ashley struggled to get a batter look at what had grabbed her mother's attention, or perhaps the little Fae had already picked up on Alexia's scent and was trying to get closer, even though I'd yet to detect anything but the sweet smell of Freesia and Jasmine, accompanied by the aroma of nature.

"...Its up to you now little one" My mate murmured down to our baby girl, a small anxious tremor seized Rosalie's sinfully voluptuous body. I leaned toward my lover, pressing a tender kiss to her magnolia pale cheek, the tiny tender smile she gave me almost had my heart beating again. I carefully rearranged Lucas' little body in my arms, until he was effortlessly braced on my lean hip and I had one arm free, which I subsequently slipped around Rosalie's slender shoulders as we slowly approached the site, waiting and watching Ashley closely to gauge her reaction.

I held my breath as we stalked closer to the fallen tree, quite literally blanketed by the snow, I couldn't even see a single patch of dark brown bark protruding through it's fluffy white sheet, though a few ageing leaves were managing to keep themselves just above the top layer. I began to notice that the tree seemed to form a towering bank in the snow, a tall three metre tall slope, which was equal to about nine feet. With my arm wrapped around my mate's shoulders I felt Rosalie tense against my side suddenly when Ashley lifted her head from her mother's chest and her petite nostrils flared as she took a deep breath in through her little nose. I followed the little Fae's line of sight, hoping to identity exactly what she had become interested in, only to realise with a sigh that I was going to have to do some landscaping if I was going to be able to visually locate what Ashley had scented. I pressed another kiss to Rosalie's cheek before I withdrew my lithe arm from around my mate's compact shoulders.

"Come on little guy, lets play treasure hunt..." I smiled down at Lucas when he just stared up at me with his blonde head cocked to the side. Shifting closer to the tall fallen tree, I kept my son perched on my lean hip, he pressed his tiny hands to my ribs, gripping my black cashmere sweater in his palms, I effortlessly leapt, three metres high, onto the top of the long tree trunk sprawled out on the ground. I crouched slightly, using my free hand to brush aside the fine dusting of freezing snow until I could finally see the actual bark beneath, only then did I notice the shallow spider-web cracks in the hard covering. Lucas gurgled curiously and eagerly tugged on my sweater, almost like he was asking me if this was what we were looking for.

"...Baby, can you bring Ashley closer for a second?" I glanced over toward Rosalie, she nuzzled the top of our daughter's head as she inched forward. Ashley pressed her little hands to the snow-covered tree when Rosalie had carried her within arm's reach, murmuring to herself, I straightened and inched three quarters of a foot along the fallen oak, heading towards the collection of frozen leaves when Ashley glanced in that direction. I paused slightly I heard an exhausted creaking sound, dropping back into a crouch I once again pressed my hand to the tree's trunk, only this time instead of my having to brush aside the snow to see underneath, the white layer of snowfall just gave way, falling inside of the oak's trunk with little resistance. This must have been the exact spot where Alexia had slammed into the tree, leaving behind this large jagged crack when the impact had torn the huge oak free from the ground like it was nothing more than a weed. I leaned forward, inhaling deeply to see if I could pick up the _Sicarri's _scent, but all I could catch was the earthy smell of soil, fresh snow, foliage, nothing out of the ordinary. Just like Akasha had said.

"Anything?" Rosalie breathed out gently, staring up at me with dark blue eyes. I sighed harshly, hearing Ashley murmur insistently, her little hands still touching the tree trunk.

"I can't smell anything that I wasn't already expecting..." I admitted with another sigh "...You wanna bring her up here?, she is obviously getting something" Or maybe it was wishful thinking.

Instead of answering, Rosalie's oval shaped jaw clenched slightly, before she casually made the nine foot leap onto the tree just ahead of me on the other side of the jagged and uneven crack I was crouched over. My mate lowered herself onto her knees opposite me, and settled Ashley until the little Fae was sat on her rump, Rosalie's hands supporting her just under her little arms. I resisted the urge to shake my head doubtfully, from Ashley's lack of any real reaction besides mild curiosity I couldn't tell if Alexia's scent was actually there or not. My eyes locked with those of my lover, Rosalie's eyes had darkened once more, with disappointment and worry, the very same emotions burning in my own stomach. What could we do for Ashley now?. Abruptly a loud squeal erupted from Ashley's mouth, I gazed at Rosalie for a moment longer before we both inclined our heads toward our daughter, the little Fae attempted to throw herself forward toward the jagged crack, only to find her mother's supporting hands under her arms were preventing her from doing so. Ashley screamed with frustration before she quietened and glanced up at me, forcefully patting the tree in front of her with both her little hands.

"What is she trying to show us?" Rosalie murmured confusedly, scanning her eyes over the crack in the fallen tree like she was looking for an enemy. I felt my shoulders lift into an involuntary shrug of echoing bewilderment, what _was _Ashley trying to say?, I frowned when Lucas patted the tree in unison with his older sister, he craned his neck and stared up at Rosalie just like Ashley was looking at me, imploringly.

"Seriously, what the hell aren't we seeing?" I grumbled.

"Maybe..." Rosalie began distractedly, my eyes were glued to my mate in seconds, whatever suggestion Rosalie had I would follow it. I raised an eyebrow quizzically when Rosalie lifted Ashley back into her arms, and inched closer to the opening, Ashley cooed as my mate awkwardly bent over the wounded tree, with our baby girl cradled in her arm, and slipped her elegant hand into the opening, the long silken fall of Rosalie's blonde hair slipped over her shoulder as she pushed her lithe arm into the tree's trunk.

"...Bella, it would seem our children are very intuitive. That or they have x-ray vision, which is kind of a disarming thought so forget I even said it" My lips curled into a smile as Rosalie withdrew her arm with her hand closed into a fist, Ashley cooed eagerly and pressed her tiny palm to the back of my mate's elegant hand, I tilted my head and waited for my lover to unveil whatever our daughter had guided us to. Rosalie's long slender fingers unfurled, revealing what looked like a small splinter of tree bark, dusted with snow, that was barely an inch long. For the first time in days, Ashley's angelic face lit up with an adorably beautiful smile and her dark eyes reverted back to neon blue so swiftly I could hardly catch the change. Ashley snatched up the almost diamond-shaped fragment in her small hand, grinning as she pulled it close to her tiny chest, a loud little purr resonated. Lucas clapped his hands together, giggling happily to himself, as if sharing in his sister's elation. I breathed out a sigh of relief that was echoed by Rosalie's.

"Thank God for that" I grinned widely, lifting Lucas close up to my chest.

"God had nothing to do with punting Alexia through this tree Bella" Rosalie drawled smoothly, with an alleviated smile.

* * *

><p>"Now I know how Belle feels during that scene in 'Beauty and the Beast'" I whistled loudly, staring around at Eleazar's immense private library with eyes glazed over due to sheer amazement.<p>

The secret chamber carved into the very landscape of the Wyoming hills range had to be at least a hundred feet tall and the walls were lined with thick layers of concrete and stone. From what I could make out the bookshelves had actually been carved into the walls themselves on all sides with just enough room on the wall behind us for the entrance to nestle in between rows of books, over ten thousand books were housed in the library, the vividly coloured bindings were all carefully maintained and kept in alphabetical order and then categorised to topic and sub-sections. About fifty feet above where I stood on the ground floor, there was an upper gallery on plain view, half Eleazar's texts were kept on either of the two levels, a waist-high mahogany railing ran around the square shaped balcony which offered the occupant on the second floor a view of the goings on below. There was a long, oak, table running from one end of the ground floor to the other with over thirty chairs neatly tucked beneath the table and a few old fashioned oil lamps were spaced over the table top, little flames danced inside the glass coverings, to address the issue of electricity, or lack thereof, but other than that there wasn't much else furniture-wise. But I suppose that is all a Supernatural would really need in a library.

"Excuse me?" Rosalie frowned over at me.

"Don't give me that look Rose. Everyone has seen that movie, its Walt Disney for crying out loud!" I stressed.

"Love, try to remember I was born in 1915, my childhood didn't revolve around establishing my own person and enjoying life's little pleasures, it centred on being what dear old dad wanted me to be. Oh if that misogynistic, pompous pig could see me now..." She pursed her full pink lips and slowly let the corners of her sensuously sculpted mouth curl into a wolfish grin.

"...Sanctimonious prick would have a heart attack" She smirked.

"Why?, because you're a lesbian?"

"Oh hell no, that 'shameful secret' could be covered up from society with an arranged marriage and never spoken of again, its because I'm wearing pants" Rosalie stated bluntly, smirking derisively.

"Rose, your generation sucked" I drawled.

"Too true..." She agreed, nodding without hesitation, we both chuckled lightly

"...Come on, they're probably on the upper tier, the staircase is just back there" Rosalie started forward, stroking Ashley's little back while our daughter continued to hold the little oak fragment, shaped like and oblong diamond, close to her chest and purring contentedly in her mother's lithely defined arms. My mate purred in unison with our daughter, happy that Ashley was happy, as she strode around the long oak table, heading toward the back of the library's ground floor.

"Back there, where?..." I asked with mocking suspicion, following after Rosalie, instinctively remaining within arm's reach of my beloved goddess, where I belonged. I cocked my head curiously when my beautiful mate lazily trailed from wall to wall, touching a hand to select books, just running one long slender finger over their spines or making to pull them down from their shelves only to pause and push them back into place, almost like she was drawing a pattern, or entering a code. But that couldn't be right, right?.

"...Oh there!..." I exclaimed sarcastically when Rosalie splayed her elegant fingertips over three thick books, shelved at the far side of the room just above my mate's head, opposite the entrance, she pushed inwardly. A section of the bookshelf, shaped like a six-foot high door, crumbled inwardly and lifted like it was on some sort of mechanism, disappearing out of sight and taking the books seated on its shelf with it. Damn, I guess Rosalie really was punching in a pin.

"...Holy crap, there be nooks and crannies _inside_ the nooks and crannies!..." I drawled, rolling my neon blue eyes playfully. Rosalie laughed and winked at me.

"...This isn't normal" I whine as I stride toward the newly formed door. Rosalie slipped in ahead of me, with Ashley in her arms completely oblivious to the world around her so long as she hand that little oak fragment that smelled of Alexia with her, when Lucas and I had followed her into a narrow stairway, the secret door slid closed behind us.

"Bella, this is Eleazar's Shangri-la, can you blame him for being a little...well, I'm not going to say paranoid, I'm going to say, protective?" She tilted her head as she climbed the narrow, stone, staircase, there were no turns, it was just your basic stairwell though the steps were a little steeper than expected and a guy Emmett's massive size might have a little trouble getting through.

"You're my Shangri-la, but I don't plant GPS in your clothes when I go out, now do I?" I grinned lasciviously, watching Rosalie's firm backside flex right in front of my face as I followed her up the stairs. If we didn't have the twins in our arms, I'd feel very inclined to take advantage of this tempting opportunity.

"That is because I can protect myself. If the wrong person, like Edward for instance, were to somehow get into the library where multitudes of history and knowledge are kept, I don't even wanna think about what hell would break loose then. Which is why there are hidden cameras and motions sensors built into the walls all linked to Tanya and Eleazar's laptops" Rosalie said as we reached the top of the stairs, there was a small square landing which lead to a plain wooden door in front.

"I guess..." I nodded, realising that the locale, design and security of the library was necessary, even if it was a little on the heavy side.

"...So, the books on the second floor..."

"-Are more explanatory, like school texts, whereas the ones on the ground floor are more fact based, they were written for people who already know a lot about the subject and just wanna brush over it" She explained as she gripped the door handle, turned and pushed it open. My mate stepped through the entry way and waited for me to do the same before she closed the door behind me.

The upper tier was similar in design to the ground floor, every inch of the walls were consumed by bookshelves carved into the concrete walls. However there was that impressive square balcony that formed the gallery, offering a view of the long table below, and created thirty foot long walkways around the opening, from here I noticed that the ceiling was dome-shaped. There was crimson carpeting covering the floors of both tiers that looked like it was cleaned regularly. There were four rectangular tables, one placed along each side of the four metre wide walkways, with one of those old fashioned oil lamps placed on the table surfaces, a small flickering flame danced at their centres. Victoria, Akasha and Eleazar were over at the far side of the open gallery from where we stood by the entrance, dozens of thick books were splayed open on the table they were hovering around, none of the three elders glanced up from their respective books as Rosalie and I carried our twins around the square-shaped walkway toward them, seemly utterly engrossed in whatever they were reading. It was a surprisingly long walk, regardless of our long graceful strides, to get around the square gallery to the far side.

"Find anything?" I ask as Rosalie and I drifted to a stop in front of them. Eleazar stood near the bookshelves, shrewdly scanning titles with focused golden brown eyes while holding a single book in the crook of his left arm, that text alone had to be at least eight hundred pages thick, in fact most of them appeared to have anywhere between six hundred and well over a thousand pages contained between the high hardback covers.

"Well I've learned something new today..." Victoria murmured, the redheaded vampire was sat cross-legged atop the table's surface with a book open in her lap.

"...I mean I always knew that the Magi existed and that they were adept magic-casters with generally weak to no combat skills, but I didn't know that there were two Covens..." Victoria laughed mockingly for a moment without looking up from the book in her lap.

"...The Light and The Dark, they are just _so_ inventive!" Her mouth twisted into a sarcastic smirk, before she snapped the book closed and finally looked up at us.

"The Mage who created the _Áthraftos _at the dawn of time was the High Mage of the Dark Assembly, like a King basically..." Akasha supplied helpfully, pushing aside the book she had just scanned through disinterestedly. Clearly she was working with her own general knowledge. My biological mother looked up at me, even though she was casually sat at the table in a plain wooden chair she still managed to look regal.

"...Both Covens are wildly secretive, especially from each other, mostly because the Dark are vengeful cowards with no honour and the Light are mushy pacifists that just watch the world go by, come hell or high water"

"So stepping away from the books for a while. Tell us all wise and knowing Mistress of Knowledge what exactly does the Binding Stone do?, and why does it only affect the _Sicarri?" _Victoria cupped her jaw in the palm of her hand, resting her elbow on her knee as she stayed firmly rooted on top of the table, glancing at Akasha intently.

"Quite literally what the name implies, whenever a mature _Sicarri _voices aloud their intention to begin a hunt they are then bound to their promise, if they attempt to break that commitment in any way then the Binding Stone takes their life. Simple._" _Akasha nibbled on the inside of her cheek, no doubt remembering that Alexia had promised to hunt her and Elena down to avenge Jodelle.

"So why would a 'dishonourable coward', as you put it, create something like that?. Because from what I've seen, they don't need any prompting in the whole killing department, surely interference like that from another race would piss 'em off" Victoria frowned.

"Jealousy..." Akasha leaned back in her chair and stretched slowly, as if settling in for a long session of story-telling

"...The Magi were the first Supernatural race ever to exist, they were created by Apollo, Greek God of the Sun, by worshipping him they elevated his power. To begin with, Mages were just immortal beings until Apollo gave them the knowledge of magic-casting, with every little spell they cast it increased Apollo's own power even further, because of that he encouraged the Magi to cast as much magic as they possibly could and to breed like rabbits. Mage-kind created havoc on Earth while Apollo did the same on Olympus, but fortunately he never managed to usurp the authority, however he did manage to piss off a lot of the other Gods, including his own twin sister. In retaliation, Artemis, Greek Goddess of the Hunt, created the _Sicarri _with the same deal in place, by worshipping her and hunting in her honour they elevated her power. But the _Sicarri _were superior to the Magi, the _Sicarri_ were content to co-exist with them, and as such Artemis was soon stronger than Apollo which won the _Sicarri _patronage from all the other Gods, including Apollo's admiration as he soon lost interest in his own children, instead he showered the _Sicarri _with his attention. When the Magi lost the favour of their Father they became jealous of the _Sicarri_, one spiteful Mage created the Binding Stone in a fit of rage, though I don't think he really had a plan in mind at the time. But when the _Sicarri Prima _at the time, Alexia's ancestor, half-heartedly threatened to kill one of her close friends after a heated argument, like most of us have done a hundred times before, and she subsequently died after things settled down and she no longer felt any faint aggression toward her friend, the _Sicarri _prayed to Artemis for answers to their Queen's mysterious death, and they learned of the Binding Stone. That is when the _Sicarri _became such a vicious race, because they had previously lived in peace with their 'cousins' and the Magi caused the death of their ruler. They don't trust anyone or anything anymore" Akasha finished with a heavy sigh.

"So the Gods do actually exist?" I gasped with pure undiluted shock and self-consciousness, well didn't I regret a lot of things that have come out of my mouth over the years. I stared, incredulous, at my mate when Rosalie merely scoffed at the revelation, rolled her neon blue eyes and casually blew a strand of silken blonde hair out of her beautiful eyes.

"Don't worry about it, they're more concerned with their own world, so long as they are appropriately adored by their loyal races and their power remains elevated, they really don't give a fuck what we do, think or say" Akasha smiled assuring.

"Do we have a specific God to worry about coming down on us like a ton of bricks?" I breathed out a sigh when my biological mother shook her head. I glanced over at my mate, blinking lamely.

"I know that feeling, whenever you think you're firmly wedged inside our World you find out there are a hundred more levels for you to get acquainted with" Rosalie muttered with another exasperated roll of her stunning blue eyes, she leaned toward me and nuzzled my cheek tenderly while I could do nothing but sputter uselessly. For long moments I just stood there, Lucas cradled in my arms, contemplating this new discovery in my World.

"What?, did you seriously think we just drew the evolutionary aces as we were spawned out of a ball of nothing?" Akasha teased.

"I don't know about that...But I think I know how to destroy the Binding Stone..." Eleazar came over to us, scratching the back of his neck nervously when all eyes landed on him. In his free hand he held a thick book with black covers and an old glyph-like symbol incised on the front and back in gold. The male vampire cleared his throat and read from a page in the book.

"...According to this passage here, any prolonged magical components can only be undone, either by the Sorcerer who cast originally cast them, or by a Mage with Magical abilities to equal that Sorcerer. Blood magic is involved in the dismantling of such elements, so we would need some of Alexia's venom, which, I think I can safely say, we are only going to get if she is willing to put her past with Akasha behind her and move on. Not to mention, we're assuming only she knows where the Stone is"

"The Mage who created it was butchered alive by the _Sicarri _as recompense for their Queen's slaying, as well as a thousand others, which is why most of the Magi live on another plane of existence that runs parallel to the one we live in, because a _Sicarri _will not suffer a Mage to live. But the Magi have agents in the human world, serving families who provide them with things they desire and cannot conjure, we'd have to locate one of them and force them to take us to the current High Mage of the Dark Assembly, which will be no easy task, they move around often and their presence is masked by magic. You could walk passed one right now and all you would sense is one more human..." Akasha sighed again. I stayed silent as the full weight of what I had to get done settled on my shoulders, if Rosalie and twins hadn't been there with me I would've crumbled to the floor and stayed there, never to stir.

"...But Lexi told you about the Binding Stone, so she has to be willing to put the past aside. Especially now that she is mated to a Fae, one of the race she swore to destroy..." I glanced at Rosalie for support, biting my tongue to keep from revealing the truth, like I wanted to. But I couldn't, the consequences would be too dire. I didn't even notice Victoria's eyes burning into me incisively, trying to figure out what it was I hadn't yet told her. Only Rosalie, Alice and Leah knew the truth about Dana and Soren.

"...She'll have no choice. Until Ashley comes of age, Lexi is more or less like a third parent, a guardian, her instincts are to protect and provide for her mate like you two as Ashley's mothers. But if Lexi's instincts go head-to-head with her resolve to fulfil her vow, I don't know what she will do, she won't hurt Ashley or anyone Ashley is attached to, but I cannot say the same for anyone else"

"As Ashley's parents, I believe you two will have better luck talking sense into Alexia" Eleazar stated softly, staring at Rosalie and myself thoughtfully.

"But we'll all be with you every step of the way..." Victoria added firmly "...Wherever and whenever you need it"

"Glad to hear it..." I murmured softly, overwhelmed by the level of trust and love I could see shinning in my adoptive mother's eyes.

"...Because, we're leaving for Volterra tonight and I'm not expecting an overly warm welcome wagon when we arrive"

**TBC. . . **

**AN: Final showdown next chapter :****)**


	43. Chapter 43 Part One

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Twilight or anything else associated with either the books or the movies, the only things I do take credit for are any mistakes and Ocs ;p

**AN: I just wanna say that I know my updates are erratic as hell and you guys amaze me with your continued patience, I really appreciate it and your support. Now then, I've had to split the final chapter into two. Originally I planned on having this as one single instalment but the word count is about 20K, bearing in mind I haven't actually finished the second half yet, so yeah, I thought it would be easier to read if I divided it into two parts. **

**Chapter Forty Three, Part One. Rosalie's POV.**

"So...While I was packing earlier I found something that ought to brighten the mood" Kate announced with a little smile.

The tall blonde vampire was stood in between two rows of seats on the plane, leaning either of her elbows on the two padded chairs next to her and holding a very worn looking black leather-bound book with several dozen loose pages clamped between the covers in her left hand. It had to be decades, maybe even centuries, old judging from the wear and tear. I leaned back into the luxuriously comfortable seat and arched a perfectly shaped eyebrow expectantly as I tenderly held my mate's elegant hand in my own on top of the armrests.

"Thank Christ!. Tanya, our little baby sister has finally located her missing braincells" Irina drawled dryly with a smirk.

I momentarily glanced down the aisle in the first class section of the Boeing 747 commercial airliner that Bella had managed to privately hire, my dark-haired mate knew a human-demon male halfbreed with a pilot's license and easy access to every type of aircraft known to man. I don't know how much our 'spur of the moment jaunt' cost Bella, but being as our family had run of every inch of the spacious plane, including the First, Business and Economy Classes and even the Cargo Hold I'm guessing our flight cost a pretty penny. Irina was seated two rows behind myself and Bella with Heidi next to her by the oval window.

"Whoo!. Go Katie!..." Tanya, wearing a wicked grin, applauded sarcastically "...It took you a thousand years, but we're still so proud you kiddo" The elder Denali sisters laughed liltingly in unison, even I cracked an amused smile as everyone else laughed along with the two Russian vampires.

Tanya was sat in the middle of the isle, directly across from Irina and Heidi, with her Ipad 5 resting on the seat beside her that Jasper had been quietly occupying until Emmett had thundered a suggestion that all the boys have a game of football in the empty Cargo Hold, a proposition that was promptly accepted, leaving just us girls in First Class. It was several tense hours into our long flight to the Malpensa Airport in Northern Italy and I still couldn't shake the thought that Emmett was going to accidentally puncture the side of the plane during a fit of excitement, and I really didn't want to swim the rest of the way to Italy.

"Fuck you Irina" Kate glared playfully over the rows at the other ancient vampire.

"If you weren't my sister and I wasn't mated sweetie" Irina winked. I shared a grin with Bella as we silently listened to the Russian vampires banter amongst themselves. I'd rather focus on their familiar sibling raillery than the uncertainty we were flying toward. I rested my head on Bella's warm shoulder.

"No, not even then, because you are nowhere near lucky enough to get a piece of my sexy self. Now pipe down and lemme finish..." Kate retorted with a honeyed grin. Irina sputtered indignantly while Tanya just snorted her amusement.

"...Anyway, I was rooting through one of my old trunks and I found-"

"Oh! Oh! Teacher!. Pick me!. I know the answer!..." Tanya held up her hand just like a little child in class. Kate sighed heavily, shifting all of her weight onto one elbow braced on a single, royal blue, seat in the middle aisle. Kate cocked her head curiously and pursed her lips, but as irritated as she attempted to appear, her golden coloured eyes twinkled mirthfully. Tanya darted a look at Irina, the elder Denali sisters smiled roguishly at each other, before Tanya glanced back at Kate with a toothy grin.

"...Silk bloomers from the twenties?. I always thought they were kinda funny. They're also part of the reason I don't believe in underwear" Tanya and Irina laughed uproariously. I chuckled lightly under my breath as I pulled my and Bella's entwined hands into my lap. I coaxed my mate's graceful hand open flat on my toned thigh and began to trace little circles into her palm with the tips of my long slender fingers.

"Are you kidding me, T?, I never went near those monstrosities. You could practically pitch a six-man tent with two pairs..." Kate grimaced in disgust, before she shook her head and lifted up the worn leather-bound book in her hand.

"...This is my journal from 1718. You guys remember what we were doing back then?" Kate tilted her head with a coquettishly nostalgic smile painted across her lips.

"We were doing what all good pirates at the time were doing, making our fortune in the most lucrative and illegal ways possible, brawling with each other on deck and avoiding the British navy like the plague, though they nearly had us a time or two outside the Bermuda Triangle..." Irina took a deep breath and exhaled on a prolonged sigh "...Those were the days. Now Tanya insists we conduct ourselves as law-abiding citizens, you big wuss" She narrowed her golden brown eyes on her older sister.

"I never said you had to obey the law Irina, even though you're the one with extensive law degrees. I just said we can't be as obvious anymore, back then we didn't have to worry about CCTV catching you ripping open a bank vault and making off with the loot. Besides, my favourite part of that century was definitely the titillating wenches waiting for us every time we made port..." Tanya grinned salaciously. Irina let out a sultry laugh, apparently agreeing with her older sibling, until Heidi abruptly climbed into her lap with a jealous growl resonating deep in her chest. Tanya rolled her eyes with a fond smile as Irina and Heidi kissed deeply before she glanced back at Kate with her gold eyes glowing teasingly.

"...I'm willing to bet they're probably responsible for banging some braincells out of you, am I right Katie baby?"

"That is it!. I'm going kick your ass Tanya!" Kate flashed down the aisle of the plane, sporting a predatory grin as she bolted straight for her playful older sister.

"You're going to have to catch me first little Sister!..." Tanya laughed, springing out of her seat with unnatural grace before Kate could pounce on her and racing further down the narrow aisle. The elder Denali disappeared through the curtained-off door that lead into the Business class of the plane with Kate hot on her heels.

"...C'mon Kate!, stretch those legs you undisciplined newborn!. Catch me!. Catch me!" I heard Tanya taunt as I tilted my head on Bella's strong shoulder, looking up at my mate while I continued to trail my fingertips in circles over the perfect pale soft skin covering my lover's palm as I held her gracefully sculpted hand in my lap. Bella was staring intently out of the oval-shaped window, watching the clouds and the birds go by as the plane meandered over the pacific ocean, taking us closer and closer to Italy and further away from Alaska with every passing second.

"I can't decide if I want the twins turning out like those three, or not" I whisper quietly into the shell of Bella's ear.

Even though Ashley was with Akasha and Elena across the plane, smothering the older Fae in her Freesia and Jasmine scent that was a few shades different than their own in preparation for our arrival in Volterra. I was acutely aware of her little body perched on Akasha's knee as she gurgled to herself with a lazy smile on her angelic face. My daughter was so much more happy now that she had the diamond-shaped splinter of oak that carried Alexia's scent clutched tightly in her tiny hand. Ashley was oblivious to everything and everyone else around her, but she was feeding regularly once again and that was what really mattered to me. And as a result of his sister's improved mood, Lucas was even more chipper than he had been earlier in the day, my bouncing baby boy was grinning from ear to ear as he happily cuddled with Victoria and Esme. If only the rest of us could be that carefree. As much as we all tried, there was a prominent cloud of bleak precariousness looming over all of us and the only thing we could do during the long flight was endeavour to maintain a sense of normalcy between ourselves. For the most part, it was working.

"I'm all for a little sibling camaraderie and banter but if Ashley and Lucas turn into womanising pirates at some point in their lives then it'll be safe to say that we did something wrong" Bella snorted. I laughed and nuzzled my face into the soft skin sheathing the crook of her beautifully defined slender neck as she leaned her head against mine, her familiar scent filled my nostrils and sent my senses thrumming with soothing sentience.

"Amen to that..." I smiled, blissful purrs rumbling from both our chests. I took a deep breath as the heavy weight of reality proceeded to poke and prod at the warm bubble we've all submersed ourselves in. I pressed a kiss to the soft highly sensitive area behind Bella's ear, feeling her shiver against my side before she pulled her hand out of mine so she could wrap her lithe arm around my slim shoulders.

"...How long, until we land?" I murmured, barely above a whisper. Bella sighed heavily as she nuzzled her face into my long glossy blonde hair. She lifted her free, left hand to check the diamond encrusted watch around her elegant wrist before she rested her hand on her jeans clad thigh and tightened her right arm around my shoulders.

"Its coming up to three AM and we should be landing in Milan about ten o'clock. From there, we're all going to pile into the rental SUVs I've got waiting at the airport and drive them up into the Alps to Victoria's cabin, which Esme has been renovating ever since V told her about it. From what I remember its big enough to house us all comfortably until we're due at Volterra tomorrow. And apparently the twin's room is really something" Bella tenderly kissed the top of my head. I nodded my understanding, as the persistent dark cloud of an uncertain future suddenly settled over us again. I took a deep breath in an attempt to alleviate the dead weight in my chest, with little success, I just can't seem to shake the feeling that something is going to go terribly wrong when we confront the _Sicarri_. I cuddled closer into my mate's side, seeking all the warmth and comfort I urgently needed and that only she could provide me with.

"You do realise that Alice is not going to go quietly. The Pixie is going to buy half of Milan before we can leave for the Alps. We're going to need another car just for her bags, scratch that, we'll probably need a U-Haul" I smiled fondly into the stunning column of my mate's neck, at the thought of Alice darting into as many stores as she possibly could with Leah following closely and carrying the Pixie's shopping bags; something that has happened more times than I can count in past couple of months alone. Bella's lithe body trembled against my side as she laughed softly.

"We've got time for a short shopping spree if you want us to go with her, emphasis on the word 'short' though. I don't want to risk running into any of the Volturi" My mate suggested, barely managing to conceal her deep disdain for my all time favourite hobby. My lips curled into a grin. I still couldn't believe how much Bella disliked shopping, she has made it quite clear to me that she'd rather get a root canal than step foot in a boutique, but she'd 'suffer' through it for me. I took her earlobe between my full pink lips and nibbled on the snow-pale flesh gently. A low growl resonated in the back of her throat in response and small shivers seized her supple muscles.

"As much as I'd love to spend the day shopping in the fashion capital of the world, I'd rather get the twins settled up at the cabin. Sooner or later they're going to be a little overwhelmed by the sudden change" I murmured after releasing the lobe of her ear and settling my head back on her warm shoulder.

"Yeah. But they'll be okay as long as they're together and with us. Everything is going to be fine."

**Dana's POV.**

I winced with phantom pain and sympathy when Peyral's back connected solidly with the far wall of the Volturi's training grounds, the harsh sound of splitting rock accompanied the multiple cracks suddenly webbing across the plain stone wall and the resulting debris falling to the floor. The huge chamber, located in the very bowels of the Volturi's underground compound, was bare of any major furniture and stretched out for thousands of feet in either direction in order to provide ample room for the combat training of vampires. The entire state of New York could fit into this room. Unfortunately for young Peyral, the _Sicarri _were the strongest race in the world and as a result of that awe-inspiring strength the stone chamber was in shambles from where he had been thrown into crudely edge surfaces and several of the tall columns that supported the heigh ceiling had been reduced to desecrated stacks of useless marble. But at least the ceiling hadn't caved in, yet.

I felt like a little bug standing in front of the fifteen foot, arched, double doors watching Lyssandra effortlessly toss Peyral around the limitlessly vast chamber like the six foot and relatively muscular _Sicarri _was a balled up piece of waste paper, all the while laughing amusedly at the boy's pained shouts. With frightening speed and eagerness, Lyssandra bolted across the chamber to the fallen _Sicarri_, ruthlessly putting all her considerable strength into a single kick she delivered to Peyral's ribs as he tried to return to his feet, the blow sent him spinning through the air until his body suddenly came crashing down to the floor once again, the stone shattered from the force of impact, leaving behind yet another circular web of splintered granite. The loud cracking sound that resulted from Lyssandra's boot being driven into Peyral's impenetrable flesh and the young male's cry of pain made me wince again. Lyssandra grinned widely, showing off her pearly whites before she kicked Peyral again and again with more than enough force to reduce the Empire State building to a column of dust, and she was just toying with the blonde headed boy. The _Prima_ wanted her little brother battle-hardened and prepared for a future of hunting in honour of Artemis, not dead.

Alexia loomed a few feet in front of me near the open doorway with her arms crossed loosely beneath her ample breasts. She too, was studying her little brother being beaten by one of her own hunters, only she was without expression or any outward sign of distress over Peyral's torment, if anything the taller female looked bored out of her mind. As was the norm, the _Prima_ was dressed from head to foot in formfitting black leather that not only made her seem that much more intimidating but the tight leather also complemented her sinfully gorgeous body, hugging every curve and lithe muscle in all the right places, leaving no doubt as to the flawless perfection of her body. Alexia's waist-length glossy silver blonde hair was tied back in a tight French braid as usual, a few pale silken strands had escaped their elaborate confines and brushed down the side of her hauntingly angelic face, drawing attention to the dark soulless obsidian of her eyes, far darker than the leather she wore. It was such a paradox; the face of death was probably the most beautiful anyone would ever lay their eyes on, I suppose there was ironic justice in that, Alexia took her victim's lives in unimaginably inhumane ways and in return she gave them a glimpse of truly mesmerising radiance. But to me, no one would ever eclipse Soren's immense beauty. No one else could ever stir my love nor my lust. I lived for my mate. Why else would I have given up my family?.

I somehow managed to stifle a shiver of instinctive fear when Alexia tilted her head and levelled her emotionless gaze on me. If at all possible her eyes grew colder as she examined me like a meaningless bug under a microscope. For as long as I could remember, she'd never held an ounce of warmth in her eyes for anyone but when she looked at me, I always got the feeling she'd like nothing more than to punch her fist through my chest and rip out my unbeating heart, and all because I resembled my mother, the woman she hated most in the world. But Alexia had worked the means necessary for me to be with my mate, safe in the _Sicarri's _Homeland, and at no small cost to herself so I suppose I couldn't really complain about the pure undiluted hatred reflected back at me in her stoic stare. Besides, the _Prima _hated just about everyone and everything in the world.

"Have you thought about what you're going to do when Aro is dead and the vanguard have seized the territory we need?" I cleared my throat nervously and stuffed my hands in the back pockets of my pants, trying to ignore the sound of Lyssandra beating Peyral across the training grounds. I couldn't decided whether or not the _Prima's _lithely defined, slender shoulders actually stiffened beneath her black leather jacket after she turned her menacing glare away from me and returned her incisive attention to her brother and Lyssandra.

"That is a shadow of the question you actually want answered. I know it might be hard for Fae to do but if you grow a spine and ask me your real question, maybe, just maybe, I'll feel inclined to be truthful about it" Alexia retorted, her voice was a derisive hiss that made the little hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

I desperately wished Soren was with me and not acting as an ambassador between the _Sicarri _and the vampire inhabitants of the compound while we were staying with the Volturi. The _Prima _was too much of a warrior to placate anyone or to tolerate any kind of bullshit for very long and her typically dark and dangerous mood had become volatile since the narrow mating mark had cropped up on her right hand, running from her thumb knuckle down to her wrist joint in a series of elaborate twists that would eventually gain more definition as time went on and she came to accept it. Though I was distinctly aware of how vulnerable I was without my beloved _Sicarri _mate nearby, I steeled my spine as best I could and strode toward Alexia on shaky legs, she didn't bother to acknowledge me as I came to stand at her side, looking up at her, but that didn't surprise me at all. I took a deep steadying breath while she continued to ignore me.

"Are you going to take Ashley away from my sister?" I asked gravely. The long silence she deliberately allowed to spread out between us ate at my nerves until I almost felt the urge to flee, like a mouse runs away from a hissing cat. Alexia glanced down at me with a knowing glint in her unnervingly arctic eye and a wry smirk curling the corner of her perfectly sculpted mouth.

"If I should decide that I want..._Ashley_...to be raised in my Homeland by a _Sicarri_ who would mould her into a female I could proudly claim as my mate. Your little sister would have to beg Artemis herself to intervene. Because when all is said and done, who, but my patron Goddess, could ever stop me?"

"No one" It wasn't a question that needed answering, but Alexia was the kind of female that commanded obedience from all around her regardless if they were part of her race or not, the solemn words were compelled past my lips.

"No one. Not anymore..." Alexia agreed, lifting her head to beckon Lyssandra's attention. The redheaded _Sicarri _smiled indulgently at the formidable object of her obvious obsession. I was nearly repulsed by the burst of heady arousal that poured off of Lyssandra's body the moment her heated gaze settled adoringly on the _Prima_. Bella and Ashley are going to fighting an uphill battle in the coming days, possibly even years.

"...Stop playing around with the boy Lyssandra. Knowledge can only be attained through suffering, so make him suffer"

"With pleasure _Prima_" Lyssandra's smile transformed into a bloodthirsty grin as she returned her cold focus to Peyral, her fiancé if he ever made a kill and distinguished himself as a capable hunter, cowering at her feet like a whipped dog. I parted my lips to plead for an end to the boy's training before it could intensify, but Alexia chose that moment to fix her astute dark eyes on me and I was struck silent.

"If this unnatural softness of his doesn't dissipate soon, he will be torn apart by those who would gladly call him brother if he would only make a kill. Though you probably don't believe me when I say this and I don't care if you do or don't. But I care for my brother, in my own way, I care enough to try and destroy the kindness in his heart because if he doesn't grow up and realise that kind of weakness will not be stomached in our world, then either I will have to kill him or the others will" Alexia maintained a level tone as she spoke in a clear melodic voice, like glacial steel swathed in the finest silk.

It was horrifying to hear her talk about claiming the life of her own baby brother in such a blunt manner, but over the centuries I have lived with the _Sicarri _Soren has helped me to understand what they value in life, at least until they are mated and then their entire outlook alters to include their mates, though I don't always necessarily agree with it.

The _Sicarri_ were put on this Earth by their Goddess to hunt, man or beast it didn't matter, but it was always in Her honour to strength Her power. To them, hunting was a fundamental part of their lives, like breathing was to a human, any _Sicarri _who refused to do so was considered unnatural, a grotesque abnormality, it was blasphemous not to honour Artemis by using the superior strength She gave them in the way it was intended because She was their Creator, the Mother of their race. Peyral's unwillingness to make his first kill, something Alexia had been trying to turn around for five long and difficult years, was a monumental insult to the Goddess of the Hunt and that was why he was treated with such hostility by all _Sicarri. _The only reason the boy hadn't been murdered yet was because of Alexia.

The _Prima _was Artemis' favourite hunter, a revered legend that they all aspired to live up to and it had been foretold by Artemis' _Sicarri_ High Priestess before Alexia's birth that she would be the one chosen to lead the _Sicarri _out of the dark times that have consumed them and their Homeland for thousands of years, that still raged even now. So much was expected of the _Prima, _was it really a wonder why she was so angry all the time?, everyone wanted something from her, something only she could give, but they never gave anything back to her except more problems that she was duty-bound to fix. By the Gods on Mount Olympus, she may be the world's most cold-hearted bitch at the best of times and she was always ready for a hunt and a fight but she deserved to be happy. When Ashley reached her maturity, whether Bella and Rosalie wished for it or not, she would breathe life back into those soulless eyes and I intended to do everything I could to make it so. Not only for my parent's sake, but because I owe Alexia for giving me my happy ending with Soren, something she didn't have to do, something that could have resulted in a full-scale Civil War that would have devastated the world had she been less respected and feared by her own race, but she chose to help us anyway. I've taken my pound of flesh from the _Prima_, now its time to give it back, with interest.

**Bella's POV.**

"Well Rose, you were right about Alice. She has put half of her very expensive junk away and it still looks like a bomb site out in the living room" I muttered with a fond roll of my bruised purple eyes as I carefully pushed the six-foot maple bedroom door quietly shut behind me.

As we'd both come to suspect on the long and precarious drive up the mountains, the rectangular room Esme had prepared for Rosalie and I in Victoria's cabin, high in the Italian Alps, was a lot smaller than our room at Denali Mansion and as a result it had a minimalistic style, but that in itself was pleasant. The hardwood walls were bare of any pictures, that was a slightly more personal detail my mate and I would have to take care of when we got the chance, though each oak panel was glossed until it gleamed brightly. A thick snow white carpet ran from corner to corner. Across from the doorway I lingered in front of, triple-glazed, floor length windows displayed the a snowy landscape outside and a sheer drop that descended into a forest of rock stacks and pointed peaks of the jagged mountains that formed the Alps. The cabin was located on a relatively small protruding slope of this particular unnamed mountain. The locale was so difficult, and quite frankly treacherous, to reach that we'd only been able to drive part way up into the mountain range but being a family of Fae, Vampires and Shifters we made better time on foot even if Alice and Leah had been forced to make several trips in order to retrieve the Pixie's bags from one of the cars that we abandoned in a secluded alcove. A few metres to the right of the door, a tall Turkish marble mantle cradled an old fashioned open hearth where a small fire crackled and burned. The majority of the bedroom was dominated by a four-poster bed, canopied with dark velvet and adorned in purple satin sheets with a genuine snow-leopard fur coverlet. There was a wide oak trunk at the foot of the bed, and though the twins had a room of their own next door a large elaborate bassinet was placed next to the bed, close to the right side. God bless Esme and her foresight, the woman is a genius.

As I glided across the bedroom, the soothing sound of Ashley's even breathing and her gentle purr emitting from inside the crib brushed my ears, I smiled to myself as I activated the small panel embedded into the hardwood floor next to the right side of the windows. I caught sight of Kate and Emmett having a heated snowball fight outside before the electric shutters fluttered closed as silent as the flapping wings of a hummingbird. On the plush bed, Rosalie gracefully leaned back against the downy pillows while she breastfed Lucas. I crouched beside the bassinet, listening to my mate and my young son purr in unison as they tenderly stared into each other's eyes. I smiled adoringly.

My chest seized when I turned my attention to Ashley and saw that she was sleeping soundly, she was probably making up for yesterday's lack of rest, she still clutched that splinter of oak in her tiny hand and she held it close to her heart. I knew instinctively that if I tried to take it from her, she would wake immediately and my angelic daughter would be deeply upset with me. I still couldn't believe that my month-old baby had managed to sniff out the splinter even though she had been surrounded by a wealth of nature and I hadn't been able to detect it myself. I reached out and pulled the lightweight cream coloured, knit blanket higher up on Ashley's little chest as she slept on. The small purr rumbling in the little Fae's chest was only slightly out of synch with those emitting from Rosalie and Lucas. I cocked my head thoughtfully as I lifted my arms to rest lightly on the edges of the twin's crib, silently wondering if Ashley was dreaming, and if she was, was it of us or was it of Alexia?. Staring down at my daughter's angelically beautiful face, so much like Rosalie's, I couldn't bring myself to scowl. It was still hard to accept that Ashley belonged mostly to someone else, and she was barely five weeks old, there was something fucking really unfair and wrong about that. But what could I do about it?, except try to reason with Alexia and hope that her secret better nature came to light.

"Okay, I am going to reluctantly overlook the fact you just called Balenciaga's newest collection 'very expensive junk'..." Rosalie shot me a dark look after she'd climbed off of our bed. I winced in apology while I pulled the twin's blanket aside as my mate carefully placed Lucas in his crib next to his sister. I straightened out of my crouch and backed away from the crib and Rosalie, still glaring over her shoulder at me for daring to insult the name of fashion. I smirked uncertainly.

"...Mostly because it _is _expensive, but also because I had Alice go on a little reconnaissance mission for me while she was shopping and we were walking along that beach in Rimini..." Rosalie tucked the twins in, pressing a tender kiss to each of their foreheads, before she headed over to the wide closet that consumed all of the right wall, she coaxed the sliding oak doors apart. Though I couldn't see the exquisite perfection of her beautiful face, I knew she was smiling, I could sense her amused satisfaction. I tilted my head curiously and hooked my thumbs into the front belt loops of my white stonewashed jeans.

"...Only the temptation proved a little too much for her, and very beneficial for us" Rosalie grinned wickedly at me as she stepped aside and let me get a cautious look-see into the closet. I blinked slowly, taking note of the dozens of black and white, and a single red, coloured shopping bags and shoe boxes, with elaborate gold logos proudly imposed on the sides, carefully lined up along the floor at the bottom of the closet, where they would remain until Rosalie decided to unpack them properly. I glanced back at my mate, aghast.

"I said we could go shopping if you wanted to" I reminded my blonde lover as she crouched elegantly and began scything through her bags rapidly, searching for something in the dark depths of hell. I scoffed at myself, before my bruised purple eyes found themselves locked on the perfect musculature of my mate's backside, I was actually kinda jealous of her pants cupping those firm globes. A sudden pang of hunger erupted in my stomach, physical hunger, it had been far too long since we'd fed from each other, but my hunger for her deliciously nourishing venom was in tandem with arousal, I could barely look at Rosalie without wanting to pounce on her. I pressed my hand to my flat stomach, wincing slightly, as demanding tight knots began to twist and tighten in my abdomen.

"Now would I do that to you again?. I think its time we accept that while you are my partner for life. Alice and I are always going to have a very special relationship, our sibling camaraderie revolves around shopping and that is something you loathe. Besides, I had more fun with you and the twins at the beach" I grunted my agreement, and casually walked toward our four-poster bed and settled on the huge oak trunk at the foot. I could barely feel the hard wooden surface beneath me, until the hard knots in my stomach chose to abate fleetingly, they would return soon enough though with a vengeance. I couldn't last for more than three days without feeding from my mate, I wasn't meant to. Rosalie finally straightened out of her effortless crouch with a single bag in her hand, the thin handles hooked over her long slender forefinger.

"Don't tell me, its a branding iron" I joked dryly. Rosalie arched an eyebrow, her eyes, a mixture of vibrant purple and darker hues, twinkled and her full pink lips curled into an amused smirk, with a hint of something else. I leaned more of my weight on the trunk and lifted my arms to rest on the tall detailed foot-board of our bed as she sauntered toward me, slender hips swaying with confident seductiveness and easy grace. My taut stomach muscles visibly jerked beneath my black cashmere sweater when another pang of gnawing hunger assaulted me, far more persistent than the last. I snatched one hand away from the foot-board behind me and pressed my palm to my painfully empty stomach again. Rosalie skilfully flung the bag over my shoulder, her beautiful face a picture of concern, as she came closer to me.

"Actually its lingerie. I'd model them for you, but I don't particularly want venom on my new clothes" I growled low in my throat, already envisioning my mate's sinful curves clad in a virtually see-through teddy that would hold the mouthwatering creamy mounds of her full breasts up to my eyes while baring her slender shoulders, hug the flat plain of her hard stomach and end at the tops of her toned thighs, leaving the rest of those mile-long legs completely naked.

"No, we wouldn't want that. You bought that top a couple weeks ago right?" I licked my lips slowly. I slid off of the trunk, onto my feet, as she came to me. As she lifted her arms and her long slender fingers became entwined at the nape of my neck, I cupped the slight curve of her hips in my hands. The green halter-neck, long sleeved top Rosalie wore ended two inches above her low waist-band, I slipped my palms beneath her shirt a little and began kneading the perfect magnolia pale flesh underneath my fingertips, savouring the skin-on-skin contact. An accordant sigh passed through both our parted lips.

"Indeed I did" Rosalie drawled softly with a heated smile.

I returned the smile before I leaned forward, nudging her head back so I could press my lips to the elegant column of her warm throat, immediately I became aware of the intoxicating rush of hot venom beneath my mouth. My teeth _ached _to be buried inside her neck so I could access the life-giving nectar lulling me to her. Rosalie cupped the back of my head, urging me closer to her enticing flesh. I kissed my way across her throat, locating the dormant pulse-point in the side of her neck where the smooth white circular scar I'd inflicted the first time I'd ever fed from her lay waiting for me to nibble and suckle on. Rosalie moaned heatedly and tangled her hands in my loose hair when I swirled my tongue over the eternal mark showing proudly high on my mate's neck. I gently took her flesh between my teeth and bit down, too softly to pierce her skin despite the urge to do just that so I could feed, before I released the tempting flesh and lapped at her neck gently. Rosalie shuddered with needful anticipation as I drew back from her the graceful column of her neck so that I could capture her succulent lips with my own. Rosalie's mouth was like velvet and wine, soft, intoxicating and addictive. I stroked her hips and pulled her close as we kissed deep and slow, every inch of our bodies melded together, the soft firmness of our heaving breasts meshed together, making us both ache low in our abdomens, our flat stomachs slid against each others, my mate wrapped one of those gorgeous long legs around mine as she moved her hands to cup my shoulders.

I slid my tongue along the seam of Rosalie's mouth, asking for an invitation into paradise. She moaned and parted her full lips for me, her tongue met mine, dancing and teasing until she welcomed my tongue into her the warm sweet tasting cavern of her mouth. Her kiss was like a match, setting my steadily simmering hunger and arousal alight. Withdrawing from our kiss, I winced when my stomach rolled and coiled painfully, making my knees feel like they were going to buckle unless I sated my need for Rosalie's venom. I felt sick with hunger. Without a word, Rosalie lowered her leg from my thigh and trailed her hands down my lithe arms, taking one of my hands in her own, my mate quietly lead me toward our bed. I could barely breath as I obediently followed behind her. Rosalie crawled into the centre of the silk purple sheets, desire punched low and fierce as I stood at the edge of our bed, watching her on all fours in front of me, until she elegantly turned to face me and leaned back on her elbows. I climbed onto our bed and straddled her slender hips, I pressed my hands to either side of Rosalie's ribs, resting my weight onto my palms as I leaned down to her. I was captivated, she was like a bright star against the dark purple expanse of our bedding, her pale glossy blonde hair was like the moonlight spilling across the expensive silk and fur coverlet, her warm skin was pale as freshly fallen snow. Rosalie smiled and loosely wrapped her arms around my neck again, when I scraped my teeth along her neck, swirling my tongue over her flawless skin until I had once again found my mark. Her hips strained up into the cradle of my body, a needy whimper escaped her parted lips when I flicked the tip of my tongue over the circular scar. I nuzzled and kissed her neck, listening to her demanding husky growls, almost a pleas, resound in my ears until I finally opened my mouth, covered the subdued scar with my lips and penetrated her flesh with my teeth.

"Oh my God..." Rosalie hissed, shuddering beneath me as I started nursing from her.

Richness flooded my mouth and my dark eyes fluttered closed helplessly. Her venom flowed over my tongue like fizzing bubbles, I moaned as I swallowed my first mouthful of her smooth luscious nectar, eagerly taking another and another, but the first taste of her always made me tremble. Power rushed through me instantly, over me, making my head swim with exciting vitality. Rosalie's stunning body went rigid beneath me as I sucked more of her venom into my mouth, her breath came in wild pants, she raked her nails down my back through my sweater. The musky scent of her arousal washed over me like a tidal wave as she writhed under me. The painful physical hunger in my stomach was quickly dispersing, and soon my own need for nourishment was forgotten, though I didn't stop feeding. I loved the intimacy of this moment, the beauty and wonder of it. But I wanted her teeth in me, living off of me, taking a part of me into her, feeding from me while I did the same. I growled as I suckled on the open wound in her neck, transferring my weight onto one palm, I used my free hand to cup her chin and guide her face into the exposed crook of my neck. My eyes flew open when Rosalie nuzzled her face into my neck, searching for her mark lingering on my skin, while she continued to buck her hips off of our bed and up into me. The hot swipe of her tongue over the circular scar had my breasts aching, nipples straining against the lace of my bra, I groaned into Rosalie's neck and suckled deeply on the potent venom flowing freely into my mouth, savouring the exotic taste of my mate while I waited for her to take me into her. We purred in unison, shivering against each other as we started to move against one another. When she nipped at my neck, with enough force to sting deliciously, molten flames streaked from my passion swollen breasts racing to my clit and my inner muscles clenched with urgent need.

I felt her bite, the mix of pleasure-pain of her perfect white teeth breaking my skin and softness of her lips against my flesh, my muscles rippled as more liquid heat pooled and coiled in the pit of my stomach as she took my venom in an erotic exchange. I groaned harshly into her neck as we fed in together. Each time my mate drew on my neck, my body tightened and tightened, pressure built up behind my clit and thick wetness coated my pussy lips. I ground my hips downward, grinding the hot cradle of my body into Rosalie's flat abdomen. I was consumed by fire. My lover clutched at my shoulders with more than enough strength to reduce a human's bones to dust as she started straining up to me, wantonly bucking her hips into me. I suckled harder on Rosalie's neck, swallowing another mouthful of thick sweet venom while the friction my panties and tight jeans were causing as they rubbed against my sensitised clit became nearly intolerable. The tension wound me so tight. Rosalie arced her back into a perfect arch, her full ample breasts meshed into mine as she growled and moaned into my neck, sending little quivers across my skin, suddenly my mate grabbed my ass and roughly canted her hips up into me. Rosalie went rigid, clutching me to her, when she orgasmed beneath me. The taste of her venom intensified, exploding fierily along the bed of my tongue, she began to shudder continuously under me as I desperately continued to pull from her neck. I climaxed. My pussy rippled spasmodically, pleasure built into a giant tsunami, spreading through my body like a flash fire, white hot and memorably powerful. Every feed was like this and I loved it, I always so satisfied, so fulfilled, so gloriously revived after getting a taste of her gorgeous venom. I felt like I could fly after feeding and yet all I wanted to do was cuddle with Rosalie.

My mate panted heavily into my neck, her warm breath blowing across my flesh made my sensitive healing bite mark tingle furiously, I struggled to steady my own harsh breathing while I rested my forehead on her slim shoulder. I frowned to myself when I felt fresh dampness brush my cheek. Lifting my head off of Rosalie's shoulder, I smirked when I noticed a line of delicious venom leaving a glistening trail down from the eternal circular scar high on her neck to the neckline of her forest green halter-neck top, staining the material almost black and we knew from experience that it wasn't ever coming out. I leaned forward and licked my way from her slender collarbone back to my mating mark, cleaning up the trail of colourless venom with my tongue, I hummed in the back of my throat. Rosalie shivered beneath me and moaned, her hands lazily stroked my back, as I lapped at her perfect skin. We both purred together and lovingly nuzzled each other's mating marks. Arousal was still a dull ache in my lower abdomen, waiting to catch light and blossom into an all consuming desire at any moment, but I could wait to tend my needs. Lifting my head, my neon blue eyes, shinning bright from my recent feed, locked with my mate's and silently we agreed to move so that we were spooning on the silk sheets making up our four-poster bed, facing the twin's bassinet where our young slept quietly with their heads turned toward each other and their little pale hands brushing together. I wrapped one lithe arm around Rosalie's waist and buried my face into the silken strands of her long blonde hair. The fire burning away in the open hearth crackled while I lay behind my mate, listening to Rosalie's steadying breathing and the occasional little noises Ashley was making in her sleep, I'd be concerned if it weren't for the content smile my daughter wore.

"She is dreaming" Rosalie murmured thoughtfully. The scowl in her melodic voice told me that she was wondering the exact same thing I was; who was she dreaming about?.

"Yeah she is" I agreed. Stroking my mate's flat stomach while she shifted closer to me on our bed, Rosalie covered the back of my hand with her own. In the crib, Ashley's little fingers tightened around the small diamond shaped splinter she held. I bit my lower lip to halt a bitter growl, I didn't need anymore evidence to know my daughter wasn't dreaming about us, her loving family, she was dreaming about Alexia, her older mate with questionable sanity.

"Its not too late to run..." Rosalie whispered. The abject sorrow in her voice made my chest seize, I felt like there was a strip of flesh being ripped off of my heart, I pressed my forehead to her slim shoulder.

"Yes it is and you know it is, Alexia will know we're here in Italy. Besides if we run now, we'll be running for eternity and that is not a life any of us should be forced to suffer through, Akasha and Elena got that part right, I would've hated growing up trying to outrun the _Sicarri, _not being able to lay roots down in one single place because I'd have to be ready to leave at a moment's notice, never being able to make friends because I'd always have to keep my guard up. Assuming the _Sicarri _didn't find me, I'd be a completely different person. And I never would have met you and we never would've had the twins_..._" I brushed my lips over the delicate shell of her ear when she stiffened in my embrace. The truth was going to hurt worse than anything else in the world. This was _really _going to fucking sting.

"...If we run Alexia will find us and even if by some fortunate twist of fate she didn't, chances are when Ashley reached maturity she'd go looking for her and I don't want to put our daughter in a position where she would have to choose between us and her mate because I honestly don't think she would pick us, she wouldn't be capable of picking us, her instincts wouldn't allow for it. Just like Dana chose Soren over Akasha and Elena. I don't want to risk the same thing happening to us"

"God dammit all to hell. This is so fucked up..." Rosalie growled. She knew what I said was the truth, she didn't want to accept it, but she knew it all the same. I nibbled on her earlobe gently, words seemed entirely redundant at that moment, so I just held her closer to my chest and nuzzled her neck. She tensed suddenly in my arms and heaved a heavy sigh.

"...So what do we offer Alexia tomorrow?. She might not be able to physically hurt any of us but that doesn't mean she won't want to. So what do we offer her in exchange for her putting aside eight thousand year's worth of hatred and helping us destroy the Binding Stone because I have a feeling she isn't going to give up her vendetta easily" Rosalie turned in my arms until she was facing me on our four-poster bed.

I darted a glance over my mate's slender shoulder, across our voguish bedroom to the twin's crib where Ashley and Lucas slept on oblivious to the sombre conversation their parents were having. I pursed my lips in thought. I'd spent most of the flight to Italy playing out all the scenarios I could envision happening tomorrowin an effort to prepare myself for all the shit that could go wrong tomorrow, but my life has never gone the way I thought it would so I didn't see the point in over thinking things too much. I smiled internally when I saw Ashley's lips tilt into an adorable grin, I found the sound of the little Fae's renewed purring bitter-sweet.

"A future. A future she wants whether she is willing to admit it or not. I know what I'm doing with this, but I don't think you're going to like it" I admitted with a wince at the idea of intentionally upsetting my mate, but it was the only way I could see things working out the way we needed them to. I stroked her back slowly while Rosalie narrowed her eyes on me.

"I don't like any of this..." Rosalie grumbled after a moment's silence. I leaned forward and kissed her forehead tenderly. "...But I trust you to make this work, so I'll follow your lead tomorrow, within reason."

* * *

><p>The <em>Passo Di Montagna <em>was a collection of snow capped mountains on the Tuscan border. In comparison to the lethally jagged and abruptly vertical sides and the treacherous heights of the Alps though these mountains were little more than tall and gentle slopes of dark bedrock. Granted they would be impossible for a human to climb without some heavy duty climbing-gear and a lot of time, but the trek was leisurely to us and barely required more than ten minutes with Jane in the lead, the tiny blonde vampire guided us through the quickest route to the concealed back entrance to the Volturi's compound. Seeing as the compound was underground, it made sense for me to guess that we still had a lot of walking ahead of us, which I really didn't appreciate because I had a serious case of big ass butterflies fluttering around in the pit of my stomach. It was like those final few moments before starting a mid-term, you wanted it over and done with as soon as possible so you didn't have to worry about it anymore but at the same time you wanted a little more time to prepare yourself for what was coming your way.

Though the high altitude made it hard to breathe, I heaved a sigh and glanced sideways at Rosalie, standing stiffly to my right while the rest of the family lingered a few paces behind, even Jane had backed off to stand beside Jacob, my mate held Lucas in her arms but she was still as sombre as a winter's day. Even our son and daughter playing their own version of Hide-And-Seek during the journey into the mountains, Lucas would use his Fae power to turn himself invisible and then reappear when Ashley gurgled demandingly, had stopped making Rosalie smile adoringly after we'd passed the half-way mark. The actual entrance into the Volturi's compound was located high in the mountains where two of the tallest peaks sloped down slightly and met in the middle, a kind of bowed outbuilding protruded up from the ground and it was made out of the same rock that formed the mountains themselves, it was nothing fancy by anyone's standards. Rosalie's mood had darkened the instant we lay eyes on it, and for the two or three minutes since then, I was frozen in place.

"You ready?" I murmur to my lover softly.

"To tango with a soulless monster who makes the Devil look like a freaking Saint?" Rosalie arched an eyebrow sardonically "Yeah, I am as ready as I'm ever going to be"

"It'll be okay Rose..." I whisper.

Turning to stroke the backs of my knuckles down her warm porcelain cheek, she looked at me, took a deep breath and nodded, though I could waves of scepticism falling of her like a waterfall. I slowly approached Akasha, the bedrock beneath my feet was really uneven but I still managed to maintain a measured gait.

"...Give Ashley to me" I carefully extracted my daughter from my biological mother's arms and gently cradled the little Fae against my left shoulder, supporting the back of her head and her rump with my hands. Ashley cooed happily and nuzzled her angelic face into the crook of my neck, pressing one of her warm tiny hands into the hollow of my throat while she held her little oak splinter in the other. I couldn't look Akasha in the eye and was I quick to return to Rosalie's side, I felt too guilty knowing that I was lying to my parent's about Dana and that the truth would soon be bitch slapping me across the face, probably deserved it though.

"Are _you _ready for this?" Rosalie cocked her head, casting a glance in Akasha and Elena's direction before she returned her stare to the small outbuilding. I cuddled Ashley closer to my shoulder and smiled for my mate.

"I'm ready for this day to be over. Big time" I mutter.

Taking a breath, I started across the slanted side of the mountain toward the outbuilding. Ashley gurgled curiously when I came to a stop next to the heavy dark chrome steel plated door, somewhat rusted from the high altitude the presence of moisture in the air. With average human strength, I tried to shove the thick door open with the tip of my boot, but the steel was too badly rusted and corroded into the rock doorway, the door only creaked in protest, the thing clearly hadn't been opened in a while. I cradled Ashley closer to my left shoulder and kissed the top of her blonde head before I drew my right foot back and slammed the sole of my boot into the door, with enough strength to match an Elder vampire. The six and a half foot chrome steel door cracked in half and fell backwards, revealing a long dark passageway about three feet wide and just as tall as the door, it was going to be difficult for Jacob, Seth, Emmett and Felix to get through given their height and broad shoulders, but not impossible. The deafening crashing sound the door made when it hit the bedrock floor echoed loudly along the pitch black tunnel, I shared a pained grimace with Rosalie, if there was anyone on the other end of the passageway there was no way in hell they didn't hear the ear-splitting clang. Caius and Marcus were supposed to be convincing all the Volturi guards to stand down and the last time Caius had called he'd confirmed that the vast majority of the vampires inside the compound were ready to bid Aro's obnoxious ass goodbye, but that didn't mean there weren't a few brainwashed guards waiting for us on the other end. I could easily dispatch a coven of vampires, but I had Ashley in my arms and I wasn't about to risk my daughter's safety. I looked over my shoulder, quickly finding Jane with my neon blue eyes, she caught on instantly.

"Don't miss me too badly big boy..." The petite blonde vampire tenderly stroked Jacob's massive chest and smiled sweetly up at the hulking seven foot shifter before she confidently sauntered toward me and Rosalie. Jane passed between us and casually began to make her way down the dark passageway ahead of all of us. Jacob looked distraught to be parted from his imprint, even for a second in light of the situation, but he soon settled when Leah and Seth wrapped their arms around his broad shoulders.

"...Are you scared of the dark or something!, come on!" Jane called back.

I shook my head with a smile as I stepped into the passageway. From Jane's reaction, anyone would think we were about to walk through the gates of Disney World not the den where our enemies lay in wait for us, that being said, I think Jane would probably freak out at the prospect of visiting a theme park.

The rock walls were uneven and jagged enough to slice through human flesh like paper. Though there wasn't any source of light in the tunnel I could still see patches of dark green moss clinging to the walls of the narrow passageway and small trails of ice cold water running down the walls in rivulets.

"Well I hope no one is claustrophobic..." Tanya drawled with a whistle when she stepped into the tunnel behind Rosalie "...Because this is just ridiculous"

We all continued walking down the straight passageway in single file, following after Jane. I was surprised the twins weren't complaining about the darkness, there was no way to know for sure, but I'd guess both the little Fae's eyesight was just as acute as mine even though they were still young.

"No kidding. I feel like a sardine in a can, sometimes it really sucks being this tall" I heard Seth complain somewhere behind me.

"How do you think I feel princess?" Jacob growled, as far as I could tell from the octaves bouncing off of the walls the Alpha was in front of Seth.

"You're only a few inches bigger than me, monkey boy" Seth retorted.

"Hear that Alec?" Jacob drawled sarcastically with a rumbling laugh.

"Would both of you shut up already. Its not that bad" Leah snapped, exasperated with the two.

We continued on in relative silence for the next dozen metres or so which was only punctuated by our footsteps echoing in the dank tunnel along with water droplets sliding down the rock walls and falling to the floor. There were no twists or turns in the passageway, but every so often the uneven walls would curve outward in a way that forced us to bend into awkward positions just to get through, like Tanya said, it was ridiculous and ensured that we moved at a snail's pace.

"Heads up" Jane said suddenly.

It was then I noticed the tunnel ahead of us opening up into a large fissure, passing through widened rock structure, brought us out into a huge, roughly circular, cavern. The hard ground stretched out for a dozen metres, forming a sizeable ledge before the ridge abruptly elapse downward sharply. I glanced upwards while the rest of my family filed out onto the ledge, someone had smoothed the rock above us into a dome, probably to hug the natural shape of the mountain top, for whatever reason. A single blade of light has forced its way through the rock dome overhead and now cut diagonally across the cavern but it did nothing to illuminate our surroundings.

"I'm not seeing the compound here Jane" I drawled.

The tunnel and the cavern were crudely formed, like the entire structure had been done in a serious rush, but I guess there was a certain grandness about the whole thing. Suddenly Heidi sauntered passed Jane, close to the edge of the ridge we were standing on, she only drifted to a stop when the toes of her high heels were hanging over the edge of the drop-off, the voluptuous brunette peered over the side and wolf whistled before she looked back at me and smirked.

"A thousand foot sheer drop takes us beneath surface level. Impressive _non_?..." Heidi wiggled her eyebrows giddily.

"The Eiffel Tower is about a thousand feet tall" I cuddled Ashley closer to my shoulder, glancing over at Rosalie, her perfectly shaped blonde eyebrows were furrowed with concern, a worry I shared. It wasn't the first time we've done something like this, done something completely infeasible for a human to think of much less accomplish, so I knew I wouldn't even tweak my ankle when my feet hit the ground looming beneath us but it was probably going to scare the crap out of the twins. And who could blame them?.

"Actually the Tower is about sixty four feet higher but who's counting?..." Heidi tilted her head at me, her long dark brown hair fell over my shoulder as her golden brow eyes twinkled brightly in the darkness "...Can we go now, pretty please?"

"Well where else are we going to go?" I sighed, feeling Ashley press her hand into the hollow of my throat as I watched Heidi, without an ounce of hesitation, take a single step forward like she was just stepping down off of a curb instead of letting herself gracefully plummet down a sheer drop, in less than a heartbeat, Irina was eagerly following her mate over the edge. A small sharp sound echoing up the jagged drop-off told me that Heidi had just landed on the ground a thousand feet below. It was a quick drop then. Tanya and Jasper made the descent together and Emmett was grinning widely as he approached the ledge with Kate tucked into his side.

"This is gonna be so awesome!" Emmett laughed, a booming sound that resounded in the cavern. I smiled and shook my head fondly at the big guy, before he disappeared over the rock ledge with Kate.

"Are we going to be able to shift soon?" Jacob looked down at Jane. Leah, Jacob and Seth were strongest in their wolf forms, it would be safer for them to be in the fur, and I'd personally prefer it if my sister and my brothers were in peak condition just in case there was a fight waiting for us at the other end of the tunnel.

"Once we're beneath surface level. We'll continue on along another passageway for about two hundred feet or so. Eventually the tunnel opens up a couple dozen metres before we'll reach a vestibule that takes us into the compound itself, there should be enough room for you to shift in the tunnel" Jane answered, taking Jacob's big hand in hers and all but dragging the hulking shifter toward the edge of the ridge. The others all followed with little hesitancy, until just Rosalie and I were left of the rock ledge holding the twins.

"Together" My mate nodded her acquiescence. With my mate at my side, I inched toward the edge of the ridge, looking over the edge into blackness.

"Well talk about a black hole" Rosalie whispered, her melodic voice echoed in the cavern. I made a noise of agreement in the back of my throat.

I took a breath and kissed the top of Ashley's soft blonde head, I nuzzled her until my daughter was purring contentedly against my shoulder. I glanced at my mate, noticing her cuddling Lucas closer to her chest so that he was purring too. When resolve gleamed in Rosalie's dark blue eyes, I held Ashley tighter in my arms before I stepped forward into the abyss, just like stepping down from a sidewalk, with my mate next to me. For a moment it felt like I was suspended in mid-air before the air currents shifted violently and washed over me like a tidal wave on a stormy day. Instantly a whistling sound loudly exploded in my ears, the same thunderous sound that bursts forth from an aeroplane's engines during take-off, as gravity rapidly pulled me down the thousand foot sheer drop toward the unforgiving earth below. The lack of light meant that even though my eyes were wide open I could only just make out the rocky walls falling in front of me like water over an overhang. It was both exhilarating and nauseating to be free-falling through thin air, it reminded me of being flung through a loop de loop on a roller-coaster ride at high speed. It wasn't hard to see why a human with a defective parachute would die from a heart attack induced by pure fear at having to watch the earth coming closer and closer, having to watch death coming for them and having no control over it, rather than the impact of the fall itself. But of course, all I had to worry about was the sudden wailing I could hear coming from Ashley, the little Fae's shrieks only just pierced the shrill whistling of the wind in my ears but it was enough to make me feel sick, knowing that my daughter was in distress. Thankfully, my feet finally hit the ground, the hard collision created that small sharp sound I'd heard from the others when they'd landed, which I now realised originated from the rock beneath my feet cracking somewhat. We were now standing in what looked like a stone antechamber, directly ahead, there was a wide fissure in the wall which I assumed would take us into the next passageway that Jane had mentioned.

I lifted Ashley away from my chest, expecting to find tears wending their way down her angelic face, I was shocked to find the little Fae was grinning from ear to ear. I cocked my head to look at Rosalie with a bemused expression painted across my face.

"Babe, our daughter is an adrenaline junkie" I mock whispered to my mate. Rosalie snorted amusedly while everyone else chuckled affectionately.

"At least she didn't turn invisible half way down. That is never going to stop scaring the living hell out of me" Rosalie sighed and lovingly nuzzled the top of Lucas' head, our son was shivering slightly in her arms. Ashley turned her head on my shoulder to look for her brother, she cooed curtly when she found him and suddenly Lucas glanced back at her, he stopped shivering, and gurgled at her. Ashley threw her head back and giggled sweetly while Lucas buried his face into Rosalie's neck with a disgruntled sigh. If I didn't know any better I'd say Ashley was teasing her two-minute younger brother, maybe they would turn out like the Denali sisters after all.

"We're getting close. It won't be long now. I'll lead from here" Chelsea murmured softly, her Greek accent thick under the circumstances, the Elder vampire's arm visibly tightened around Maria's trim waist. Jane opened her mouth, I assume, to object when Alec nudged her gently.

"Chelsea _is_ two thousand years older than us, sister. Not to mention she can sever emotional bonds and forge new ones just like that" Alec clicked his fingers to emphasise his point.

"And I can turn someone's brain to mulch 'just like that'" Jane growled. Imitating her younger twin by clicking her fingers.

"The idea is to avoid violence. Besides your gifts wouldn't do anything to a _Sicarri. _In fact if you tried to subdue a _Sicarri _with your powers the only thing you would succeed in, is getting yourself killed and not in a remotely pleasant way..." Akasha interjected smoothly, silencing both Jane and Alec "...I assume there are no turns in this passageway?. Like the one before..." All the former Volturi guards shook their heads in answer "...Good. Then_ I_ will lead from here, and no arguments, I am the better part of ten thousand years older than all of you" Akasha confidently strode toward the wall and disappeared through the wide fissure, followed by Elena and the rest of the family. Soon, I was left with Rosalie, our twins, Victoria and Esme inside the rock antechamber at the base of the thousand foot sheer drop.

"You never did tell me what was wrong back at Denali Mansion" Victoria pointed out. I edged toward my adoptive mother, cuddling Ashley to my chest.

"Dana is alive. Alexia didn't tell me about the Binding Stone that night in forest, Dana did, later the same night after she saved my ass from some kind of paralysis drug that Alexia injected me with" I whispered under my breath.

"Fuck..." Victoria muttered under her breath "...But that means the crazy lady still wants to kill Akasha"

"I'm not going to let anyone get hurt. I've planned for this, I'm just not looking forward to seeing her face when she realises that I knew about Dana and that I didn't tell her" I sigh harshly. Rosalie shifted closer to me, gifting me with her warmth and comforting strength though she stayed silent, my mate never needed to utter a single word to make her powerful presence felt.

"Its not your fault Bella sweetie, you didn't ask for any of this, but why didn't you tell Akasha?" Esme tilted her head. Just another thing I love about the motherly vampire, she didn't have a harsh word for anyone.

"I needed time to think about what I was going to do today to avoid a massacre, time I wouldn't have if Akasha and Elena made a beeline for Volterra and Alexia."

"I understand that..." Victoria nodded "...You said Dana appeared with the _Sicarri, _where do her loyalties lie exactly?"

"She wants the war between the two races to end so Akasha and Elena will be safe, but she is mated to a _Sicarri" _I stroked the back of Ashley's head gently when my daughter yawned and snuggled into me with a little noise of happy contentment.

"You know what that means, right Bells?" Victoria stared at me intently.

"It means I can't trust her, not completely. I'm not an idiot V"

"I should bloody well hope not, it'll reflect badly on me otherwise..." Victoria smirked teasingly. I laughed, genuinely amused despite the upcoming confrontation.

"...C'mon" Victoria took Esme's hand and gently guided her mate toward the fissure that bled out into the final tunnel before we were officially inside the Volturi compound. Another tiny yawn caught my attention. I lifted Ashley away from my chest with my hands under her little arms. My daughter grumbled with adorable sullenness, through a half lidded gaze, Ashley mustered as much of a glare as she could and threw it at me. I grinned.

"You can't go to sleep yet Ash, you've got someone who wants to see you, though I doubt she'll say it..." Ashley cooed and rubbed her eyes with the back of her little hands. Rosalie rested her head on my shoulder and smiled down at our daughter as she lifted Lucas, our son reached out and pressed his miniature hand to Ashley's arm.

"...Thats our girl" Rosalie purred happily and pressed a tender kiss to the curve of my jaw.

"We're wasting time..." My mate whispered against my cheek, I shivered in response to her touch "...And I'm just dying to know what your master plan is, love"

**TBC. . .**

**AN: I'll get the second half up sometime within the next couple of days. In the meantime though, penny for your thoughts?.**


	44. Chapter 43 Part Two

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Twilight or anything else associated with either the books or the movies, the only things I do take credit for are any mistakes and Ocs ;p

**AN: Well its taken two and a half years, give or take, but we've finally reached the end guys and I want to thank you all for reading and persevering through my hellishly erratic updates, I know its ridiculous and frustrating waiting months at a time for an update but I can't help it anymore than you can and I just hope that the read has been worth your amazing patience. Alright then, its time for the final _final_ chapter, everyone ready?. **

**Chapter Forty Three, Part Two. Bella's POV.**

"I apologise for not meeting you in the mountains like I said I would. It was rude of me..." Alexia's velvet smooth drawl seemed to suck the air out of the Volturi's vast throne room, I couldn't tell if she was sincere or not but it didn't really matter either way.

There had been no effort to make the chamber comfortable for humans, no insulation meant that the air was almost dangerously wintry, there was a suspicious looking, pentagon-shaped grate in the precise middle of the stone floor and I couldn't define where the bright light filtering into the room came from. If I had a heartbeat, it would be pounding in my ears as I forced myself to stride into the spectacular marble chamber, toward the prominent dais, on unsteady legs.

"...But as you can see, I got a little distracted..." The tall platinum blonde female casually gestured with a flick of her graceful magnolia pale hand toward the bottom of a dais that held three marble thrones, the lone furnishings in the room, which were elevated four feet off the cold white floor. Two steep stone steps wrapped around the upraised platform and sprawled out at the bottom of those stairs was a decapitated body, strewn on its stomach and dressed in a black silk suit. The head was strangely absent, so I couldn't tell who had been on the receiving end of Alexia's vicious temper, given that Aro was absent.

Perched up on the dais, the most elaborate throne was set a pace in front of the other two making it look as though one throne was flanked by the others. Alexia looked right at home sitting on, what I assumed had been, Aro's throne with her impossibly long legs crossed at the knee just as I presumed the lifeless corpse at the _Sicarri's _feet was the dead vampire king. Sat on the other thrones to either side and slightly behind Alexia were the other two _Sicarri _I'd seen at Denali Mansion;the buxom attractive redhead who never seemed to glance away from my daughter's mate for very long and the huge male with a cruel face and more muscles than the hulk. The two appeared completely at ease, even bored, as my family cautiously edged into the Throne Room_, _but they didn't possess the same air of cool confidence, omnipotent authority and deadly lethality that Alexia exuded from every pore. Lingering in front of the dais on his feet was the much smaller _Sicarri _male. There was something different about him and it wasn't just the five thousand dollar, three piece, charcoal grey suit he was wearing in comparison to the formfitting black leather the others were draped in, there was a definite softness about him that I could spend the rest of my life searching for in the other three but would never find.

_W__here __are__ Dana and Soren?._

"...I don't suppose you have a light?" Alexia's full lips tilted into a lazy smirk as she leaned back one the throne. I bit the inside of my cheek while turning my attention inwardly and began searching for the hereditary Fae gift swirling potently at my core, with an ease gained from my training with Akasha, I drew a stream of aerated fire forward from where it thrived immeasurably inside me. My venom felt like it was set alight as my power rapidly raised its head, insistently pressing against the underside of my skin and begging to be released. I centred my focus on Aro's mutilated body which instantly erupted in roaring flames so intensely hot they flashed pale blue. The corpse turned to a bed of desiccated grey ash in an instant. Even though he'd intended to enslave me and those I love I felt an odd empathy for the dead vampire, I cast the feeling aside, he didn't deserve my sympathy and what did it matter now when he was well and truly gone?.

"Where are the rest of the Volturi?" I dragged my eyes away from Aro's remains and stared up at Alexia.

Ashley had lost the fight with sleep as we moved through the mile-long tunnels that made up the underground sections of the compound and now slumped against my shoulder. I narrowly resisted the urge to turn and deprive Alexia a viewing of my oblivious daughter as the _Sicarri's _black eyes, darker than obsidian and colder than ice, settled on the precious bundle I held in my arms. Something akin to warmth sparked in Alexia's eyes, but that flare of life was soon lost in that overwhelming blackness, it was like watching a fire being rapidly stamped out. Rosalie stiffened fearfully beside me. I'd had to point blank _order _my vampire and shifter siblings to stay close to the door in case things somehow turned ugly and we needed a quick exit, they would stand no chance against a _Sicarri _and I cared too much for them to recklessly place themselves in harm's way, though Rosalie had stubbornly refused to be separated from my side.

Alexia waved her hand uninterestedly "Some have left. Some are barricaded in their rooms. I killed a few who seemed oddly resistant against the idea of losing their limp dick 'master', but don't worry your sentimental little head about it, I made their deaths quick. Mostly because I don't actually have a problem with vampires even if they are one of the most pathetic races around. A certain two among you won't be so lucky though" Alexia's lethally sharp fangs lanced down into her mouth as she smirked maliciously over my shoulder at Akasha and Elena.

I couldn't fathom why she wasn't centred on Ashley. I would've been. I was always aware of Rosalie's presence. I could always sense where my mate was and how she was feeling. We were two halves of the same whole. Which could only mean it was going to be one hell of a battle between Alexia's instincts as a mated female and her deep-seated hatred.

"You look confused _Ash_..." Alexia's smooth drawl lowered into an abrasive hiss as she leaned forward on the throne. The _Sicarri _glanced at me, the pointed tips of her pearl white fangs peaked over her perfect pink lower lip, before she looked back at Akasha and Elena standing behind me. I could feel befuddled eyes glued to my back, but I couldn't make myself look behind at my biological parents.

"...Don't tell me. Bella here made up some shit about me revealing all about the _Áthrafstos _and now you're wondering if we can be friends again, that maybe you can _rehabilitate _me and make me _good _again. That was naughty Bella, very naughty indeed. But don't feel too bad about it, I certainly wouldn't, mummy dearest has a lot of equally risqué secrets she hasn't told you or even her bitch for that matter." Alexia smiled coldly at the protective growl that resounded in Akasha's chest. The mix of guilt and shame swarming through me was like battery acid being poured into my skull, it was killing me, but I had to stay focused.

I cocked my head and shared a frown with Rosalie. As Akasha's childhood best friend it was obvious Alexia knew my biological mother better than most, but was she just trying to fuck with our heads or was she actually hinting at something?. She had to be playing with us, like a cat toys with a cornered and wounded mouse, that was why she didn't have Dana and Soren standing with her, she wanted to hurt Akasha and Elena as much as she possibly could before she went for a killing stroke and delaying the moment was only going to make it worse.

"Too bad she won't be able to tell you herself. I hardly think she would anyway..." Unsurprisingly Alexia was brutally unapologetic about her deadly intentions.

"...Now then, before I _finally _take my vengeance, there is something you should know my old friend, someone you should meet before I kill you...Soren..." Alexia clicked her fingers, sending a clear ringing sound through the vast throne room like a falling water drop echoes through a cave. The tall raven haired _Sicarri _female appeared out of nowhere, and now stood in between the dais and me. She moved with such practised stealth that the air didn't even ripple so I couldn't say from what direction Dana's mate approached. Soren inclined her head toward me slightly, a gesture I mirrored.

"Akasha, meet your daughter in law; Soren of House Dikaiosyni_" _Alexia rested her hands on the armrests on the throne and smiled with false pleasantness, a tilt of her full lips that did nothing to mask the vindictive pleasure she was getting out of this.

"What are you talking about Lexi?" Akasha's voice was little more than a broken whisper. Alexia didn't react to the use of her childhood nickname at all, either with anger or nostalgia.

"I'm talking about Dana leading you to believe she was murdered all those years ago when in actuality she has been living it up in my Homeland with Soren, her mate, I imagine they'll be popping out a few kids soon" Alexia smiled wolfishly, baring her fangs and perfect white teeth. Soren tensed in front of the dais like she was expecting to be attacked.

"You're lying...D-Dana...Dana is dead" Akasha whispered confoundedly. Sounding strained like she was being crushed by some unseen force. I grimaced sympathetically, hearing the agony in her voice.

"No. No I'm not mama" I whirled around on my boot heel, finding Dana suddenly standing among my family of vampires and shifters and staring at our mother with wistful neon blue eyes. Akasha didn't waste any time trying to discern if Dana was actually there or if she was a ghost. The taller Fae forcefully yanked Dana into her arms and hugged her tightly to her chest before she pulled Elena into the tender embrace. Three distinct loud purrs rumbled to life. I wonder if I've ruined my chances of ever being part of that. As if she were reading my mind, Rosalie pressed into my side, reminding me that I had my own family, I didn't need anything more than my mate and our twins. They were my life.

"How fucking touching" Alexia drawled with a roll of her soulless dark eyes, the two _Sicarri _sat flanking her chuckled sinisterly. It was almost as though the _Sicarri Prima_ was making a point of not looking at Ashley and purposefully goading Akasha, like she knew she wouldn't be able to inflict violence on anyone when her young mate was near, guess I'm not the only one with a plan.

"You're alive. How can that be?" Elena whispered as she stroked Dana's back. Akasha glared murderously over Dana's shoulder at Soren, growling a challenge. Dana backed away from them, passing me and Rosalie with a nod of acknowledgement, until she was in front of Soren, the raven haired female possessively wrapped her arms around Dana's trim waist and drew my sister back against her ample chest. The growl resounding in Akasha's chest rose several octaves with her increasing aggression. If Dana wasn't in Soren's arms, acting as a sort of buffer, Akasha would've been across the throne room instantly looking for a fight.

"Its just as the _Prima _said. Please believe me when I say it wasn't an easy decision to make. I've missed you both everyday but I need to be with my mate" Dana stared at Akasha, silently begging our biological mother to understand.

"'_Prima?'__. _By the Gods what have you done to my daughter Alexia?!" Akasha glared at the _Sicarri, _the elder Fae was growing angrier by the nanosecond, and soon all thoughts of a peaceful stalemate would vanish. Unless I did something.I started nuzzling the top of Ashley's blonde head insistently. I needed the young Fae awake to grab Alexia's attention, which the pale blonde obstinately kept averted from my daughter. I whispered into Ashley's little ear, incoherent mumblings to anyone else except Rosalie who pressed tightly into my side with Lucas in her arms. Together my mate and I urged our first-born young to wake from slumber.

"Well it appears I've swayed Dana's loyalties by allowing her to join the _Sicarri _family, or maybe it was Soren's skills in the _boudoir_, either way I don't think she is your little girl anymore..." Alexia shrugged dismissively.

Akasha's eyes darkened, inky darkness began to stain the whites of her eyes, she was going to turn soon. Panic erupted in my chest as I continued to try and wake Ashley before a fight broke out. Dana was staring at me, desperation gleaming in her suddenly dark eyes. Rosalie purred into my ear, trying to ease my anxiety. Fuck, when did Ashley become such a heavy sleeper?.

"...Am I upsetting you _Ash?. _I hope so, you fight better when you're angry and I want to savour the moment I end your life. But maybe I'm not giving you enough of an incentive huh, is that it?. Okay, maybe I should tell your adoring little broodmare about your 'liaisons' with Jodelle before you met her. Tell me _Elena, _does the name Greyella mean anything to you?, it should, don't you think _Ash?_" Alexia arched a perfect blonde eyebrow expectantly.

That was it. Akasha attacked before I could even ask myself what the _Sicarri Prima_ was talking about. But as Akasha leapt through the air, midnight black eyes set attentively on her former friend's jugular, Alexia regally rose up from the throne and crouched low, waiting for my biological mother to come within arm's length. A single powerful back-handed slap, that sounded like a lightning strike when it connected, sent Akasha careening backwards through the air for several dozen feet before she crashed to the floor. I couldn't believe what I was seeing, Akasha appeared to be _unconscious,_ this wasn't meant to be happening.

"Everyone get out!.." I shouted at my frozen family toward the back of throne room, who until this moment had watched everything unfolding in stoic silence. Victoria cocked her head, looking like she wanted to argue, and heatedly.

"...Now" I snapped. Victoria ushered the vampires and shifters out of the Volturi's chamber, sensing that it was best for them to get out of the way given that they had no real way of fighting a _Sicarri_.

"Mama..." Dana tensed to move, to check on our mother, but Soren's arms were a steel cage that she couldn't escape and I could understand why Soren wouldn't let Dana go; anyone who got in the way of Alexia and Akasha was going to end up dead.

"I've waited so long for this moment" Alexia descended the dais's steps slowly as if she were committing every little action to memory. I was standing right in front of her, holding her mate, but she didn't seem to see us. Her raging hatred for Akasha was forcing her instincts as a mated female into a corner._It was now or never._ Steeling my nerve I stepped in front of Alexia, the much taller woman frowned down at me as if she didn't know where I'd come from. The glacial alien quality to her dark eyes sent shivers slithering up and down my spine.

"You don't have to kill her" I said slowly. Ashley finally awoke with a little yawn and immediately all of Alexia's undivided attention was focused solely on the little Fae in my arms. Ashley cooed when she noticed her older mate, my daughter gazed up at Alexia with big soulful eyes and reached for the _Sicarri _instantly, trustingly. Tender warmth once again sparked in Alexia's eyes only this time it wasn't extinguished by her rage.

"Yes I do. I promised Jodelle that I would avenge her, its a vow I would keep even if the _Áthrafstos _didn't exist_,_ and I will enjoy every moment of it. Now stand aside, I don't _want_ to hurt either of you" Even as she spoke Alexia lifted her elegant hand and hesitantly let Ashley's tiny hand latch onto her long slender forefinger. A primal rumbling sound, something part way between a growl and a purr, passed through the _Sicarri's _full lips at the contact with her mate.

"Ashley needs peace between us all, peace we can only have if you destroy the _Áthrafstos..._" Ashley was openly and loudly purring as they stared back at each other, drinking in the sight of each other. I waited, on edge, as Ashley cooed up at Alexia and smiled widely. Alexia cocked her head, the fall of her long glossy blonde braid fell over one leather clad shoulder, she wore a small but no less bright smile of her own. I don't think she has ever appeared so compassionate before, so capable of love, so human.

"...She needs us all in her life, its the only way she can be happy. You want that for her don't you?"

"She doesn't need _them_" Alexia insisted with a silent aggressive snarl aimed at my biological parents. Akasha still hadn't climbed back to her feet from the force of Alexia's slap and Elena and Rosalie were crouched over the fallen Fae, even Lucas was reaching out from my mate's arms for Akasha. Ashley whimpered in distress, probably sensing the change in her own mate's demeanour, instantly Alexia comfortingly covered my daughter's back with her snow pale hand and Ashley began to purr louder in response, to the extent that her little body was vibrating in my arms. My daughter was so _happy _so have Alexia near her.

"But she does, they're her grandparents. You don't have to be friends with Akasha, you don't have to like her or forgive her, but you can't kill her either. Don't you think its time you put your hate to rest?, its what's best for Ashley" Alexia's painfully perfect face twisted into an agonised mask of confused torment, two fundamental parts of her were at war inside her head and they were evenly matched in strength. A slow husky growl of frustration built in the back of Alexia's throat as Ashley continued to hold onto her forefinger, her fangs grew longer in response to the volatile emotions battling inside her. I swallowed the lump of nervousness clogging my throat like charred soot but my stomach kept churning violently.

"How about we compromise?. You take your mate and your young and you wait outside. I'll kill them and then we'll talk peace terms." Alexia was transfixed with Ashley, the _Sicarri Prima _couldn't seem to tear her dark eyes away from her mate. Behind Alexia on one of the three thrones the redheaded female sat up straight, alarmed.

"You cannot seriously be contemplating this Lex!. You are the _Prima!. _Artemis' cannot turn your back on a hunt!..." The other _Sicarri_ femaleinsisted.

"...You swore you would destroy the Fae. You swore before your _Custodia. _Are you really going to dishonour our venerated Goddess!" She was jealous, I scowled at the realisation, clearly this chick wanted Alexia and unfortunately for me she knew just how to play on the _Sicarri's _values.

"My _Custodia _begged me not to give my vow and why would Artemis allow fate to give me a Fae as a mate if she didn't intend for this to happen?" Alexia's perfectly shaped brows drew down into a deeply etched glower.

She looked unsteady on her feet all of a sudden, but I guess that will happen when you're suddenly made to question every aspect of your life for the past ten thousand years. I nearly fell flat on my ass in shock when Alexia met my gaze and I saw the colour of her eyes was starting to change, the soulless obsidian was melting away from her pupils outward, her eyes were turning the colour of a shimmering diamond shinning in sunlight. They were still a disarming sight to behold, and with stunningly frightening eyes like that she would never be mistaken as human, but I preferred this gleaming colourlessness to the previous frozen black for some reason. The redhead hissed and came to her feet in a graceful rush while the broad male beside her looked on with a blank expression.

"You are royalty for fuck sake!. Your late mother would never approve of you tainting your noble bloodlines, she would be disgusted with you for even thinking of watering down your power. Your young must be born of a _Sicarri _with a prestigious lineage to rival your own!. Think about what you are doing" The redhead implored.

So clearly the other _Sicarri _wanted to be Alexia's baby mama. I could barely breathe as I watched Alexia lift her head and slightly withdraw her elegant hand from Ashley. The shocking diamond white colour trying to manifest itself in her eyes began to recede slowly and the darkness moved to reclaim its stolen territory.

Ashley cooed softly and desperately reached for Alexia again but the _Prima _wouldn't or couldn't let Ashley touch her. Alexia began to pace furiously between me and dais, she reminded me of a wild tigress new to confinement, she growled and snarled to herself, rapidly muttering in a foreign language under her breath. Alexia lifted her hand and squeezed her temples as though she were suffering from a migraine. Ashley squirmed in my arms, she wanted Alexia. I glanced over my shoulder, noticing Akasha was struggling onto her knees and she looked groggy as hell. Rosalie was darting her attention between me, Ashley and Alexia, my mate's lithe muscles were coiled tightly with tension. I offered her a tiny reassuring smile, even if my confidence in a happy ending was slightly shaken, I wasn't about to let it show. Alexia dropped her hand away from her throbbing temples and, almost absentmindedly, began to slowly examine the unmissable mating mark on her hand, the elaborate twists and swirls forming the black glyph that stretched vertically from her elegant thumb knuckle down to her slender wrist. She stared for a moment before her hand curled into a tight fist, her eyes had completely reverted to that frosty black, the cold, calculated look she suddenly shot Akasha as my biological mother staggered to her feet, like a newborn deer, could've struck fear into the heart of a true sociopath.

"Lyssandra..." Alexia's velvet smooth voice had a renewed edge. Up on the marble dais, the redhead, Lyssandra, smirked with deep satisfaction.

"...Take Peyral and find him a Volturi to kill. And make sure it gets done this time. Tonight my House honours Artemis" Lyssandra grinned widely and descended the dais, she grabbed Peyral by his upper arm and roughly started dragging the blonde male toward the other end of the throne room and the exit.

"Lexi!, I can't do it!. You know I can't kill anyone!." Peyral shouted desperately, trying in vain to break the redhead's crushing hold on him.

"Then your weakness will be your undoing..." Alexia snapped bluntly "...I'm done making excuses for you little brother"

I genuinely thought the sudden coldness wrapping around me was a result of the biting chill in the _Sicarri's _voice as she threatened to murder her own brother for no good reason. But abruptly thick wisps of grey vapour were weaving their way through the chamber, seeming to invade the throne room from everywhere and nowhere all at once, and wrapping us all up in a wintry blanket that I felt deep in my bones though I was supposed to be immune to such things.

"What is happening?" I frowned, protectively tightening my hold on Ashley as I slowly turned in a circle. The smoky wisps were accumulating, writhing and slithering into each other like snakes until the entire room was consumed in a blinding mist that masked everyone's scent. To make things worse I could barely see past my nose, everything was white and bouffant. I stiffened and tensed to attack when I felt a restraining hand on my shoulder.

"Magic..." Alexia growled "...There is a Mage in the compound. Aro must have called on their kind to enslave you when you arrived."

"Rosalie" Panic roared to life in my chest, I couldn't see my mate or my son even though I knew they were near. I started forward in a terrified rush, only to find myself jerked to a stop before I could even take a step.

"Are you stupid?. Don't fucking move and stay close to me..." Alexia forcefully yanked me around to face her, but with the thick vapour filling the room like a fog her perfect facial features were hard to make out. I growled up at her aggressively regardless, I needed to get to my mate, I needed to protect her if there was a threat to her and no one was going to stop me.

"...I know how to hunt Mages you silly girl, now do as I tell you and shut up" Alexia growled back at me, making me feel like a fluffy newborn kitten hissing up at a lioness.

Ashley began to whine into my shoulder, I stroked her little back soothingly and Alexia made a soft consoling noise in the back of her throat. There was a sudden rustling to the left, behind me, and a loud shout cut through the mist that hid everyone else from view before everything suddenly went quiet again. I struggled against Alexia's hard grip on my shoulder, an urgent burning need to return to my mate consumed me. I was acutely aware of Rosalie nearby and I could feel her fear like it was my own, making me feel sick, I needed her in my arms to know she was safe. I didn't like what was happening one bit. The _Sicarri Prima _closed her dark eyes calmly, like she was meditating, as she effortlessly kept me rooted in place with one hand. I thought about elbowing her in the gut to loosen her grip, but with Ashley in my arms I didn't have the leverage required and she probably wouldn't even feel it. Fucking Amazon. I thought about begging her to let me go to Rosalie, but I seriously doubt she'd even hear me and she seemed to think staying silent would help the situation anyway. Suddenly Alexia's eyes flew open, focused and glinting with deadly purpose, she melded into the heavy grey fog, moving so swiftly even I couldn't see her, she just disappeared in the blink of an eye. I instantly whirled and ran toward the centre of the throne room, where I knew Akasha, Elena and Rosalie were while cradling Ashley tightly to my chest. Rosalie's warmth was a unique beacon to me that I locked onto and strode toward. I cut through the blinding fog until I could see them, Elena and Akasha were holding both of Rosalie's slender shoulders, restraining her, while she held Lucas in her arms. I crushed my mate's perfect full lips under mine in a searing kiss, aware of the twins gurgling to each other, my eyes fluttered shut as Rosalie's firm soft lips pressed back into mine. _She was safe._ I heaved a huge sigh of relieve when we drew apart slightly.

"You can let go of me now" Rosalie said calmly to Akasha and Elena.

A loud enraged roar erupted, it was so deafening I couldn't even define where it originated from, it was a murderous yet majestic re-echoing sound. _Alexia. _Ashley whimpered and squirmed furiously in my arms. Suddenly the fog began to disperse, it was like watching water drain from a bath tub, as a single flat plane the vapour lowered until it dissolved through the floor, leaving the marble under our feet damp. The massive twelve foot doors to the throne room were hanging open like someone had torn them apart, I assumed Alexia, as she went after the Mage. Glancing around, I found Dana and Soren holding each other in front of the dais and purring for each other, the huge_ Sicarri _male was crouched aggressively in front of throne he'd been sitting on with his large fangs bared.

"_Prima!" _Lyssandra yelled urgently. I glanced over Rosalie's shoulder, Alexia was suddenly sauntering back into the throne room wearing a wholly satisfied smirk, she held a severed head in her hand, her long fingers buried in a fall of long lank grey hair; it was a male Mage, and thick crimson blood was dripping down from the severed stump of a neck, leaving a spattered trail along the marble floor. Alexia's slaked expression twisted into something unreadable, she dropped the Mage's head and flashed across the chamber to crouch at Lyssandra's side. With their backs facing us I had to squint to make out what the two females were hunched over.

"Oh no" I whispered softly. The smaller male, Alexia's brother, was sprawled out on the marble floor with the _Sicarri Prima _and the redhead huddled over him, he wasn't moving or talking. Dread hit me low in my stomach.

"What happened?" Alexia demanded coldly, her voice was like rich velvet rubbed the wrong way, as she reached out a rock-steady hand to closed her brother's sightless eyes. I nearly recoiled when the male _Sicarri's _relatively muscular body erupted in a brilliant flash of white light, producing a gust of silvery dust that fluttered to the floor lazily, when the remains of the body settled on the ground Alexia reverently gathered something from the bed of bright particles and tucked it in her leather jacket pocket. Given the angle of her crouched body I couldn't make out what the _Sicarri_ _Prima _had just pocketed but I could tell from the way she handled it that it was important to her.

"_She _killed him" Lyssandra threw an accusing glance at Akasha. I was frozen in place with the sudden shock washing over me, the shout I'd heard when Alexia had prevented me from going to Rosalie, that must have been when the small male had been killed. Alexia turned her head slowly, she regally straightened out of her effortless crouch, and she levelled an Arctic stare on my biological mother.

"I swear I didn't touch him!. You know me Lexi, I would never do something to hurt you nor would I take the life of an innocent!" Akasha swore fervently. A deadly growl rumbled in Alexia's chest, she bared her long and lethally sharp fangs aggressively as her muscles coiled for an attack. I looked into Rosalie's eyes, silently asking my mate if there was any truth to Lyssandra's accusation, Rosalie had been standing with Akasha and Elena, my mate would know what happened and I would believe whatever she told me. Something in Rosalie's eyes told me that there was more than just one simple answer.

"You hurt me when you betrayed Jodelle and she was an innocent!. Your word means nothing to me, especially over that of my _Sicarri!_" Alexia roared, dark eyes flashing. Ashley started to cry into my shoulder, abject heaving sounds of misery that snagged Alexia's attention and quietened the aggressive snarls falling from the _Sicarri's _sculpted lips. I crooned soothingly to my daughter as she tightly clutched at my shoulders.

"She is lying to you!, how do you know Lyssandra didn't kill him!, she was standing right beside him!" Akasha barked. I could tell she was desperate for Alexia to believe her, I just didn't see it happening.

"Close enough to see you kill him!..." Lyssandra hissed exigently, baring her fangs as she came to her feet beside Alexia. The redhead glanced up at my daughter's mate.

"...You know I would never betray you _Prim__a"_ The shorter _Siccari _touched her hand to Alexia's arm with such comfortably familiarity, I couldn't help but wonder if they were actually lovers, if that was the reason for Alexia's trust in the other female and why Lyssandra was so jealous of Alexia's connection with Ashley.

"Lyssandra knows the meaning of the word, loyalty..." Alexia pulled her arm free from Lyssandra's hold and glared incisively at Akasha.

"...Something you forgot when you were out fucking your whore while Jodie was home planning your wedding!..." Alexia growled. The front of my shirt was soon damp with Ashley's tears as my daughter wept. Alexia's eyes darted between Akasha and Ashley, a desire to kill, to avenge and an instinctive need to protect clashed in her eyes. She threw her head back and an animalistic roar of sheer frustration exploded from deep in Alexia's chest, a furious blaring sound that made the air tremble and ground shake.

"...I'm going to make you rue the day you were born for this Akasha!, the pitiful remnants of your race will suffer endlessly for what you have done this day and I'll leave their cold carcasses for you to find when I've butchered them all. Before I am finished you will be screaming apologies for everything you have done and you will beg me to kill you." Alexia swore fervently as she stared at Ashley, a doleful gaze filled with longing, before her eyes hardened. In unison the _Sicarri, _including Dana,vanished and the only thing I could hear was Ashley's crestfallen cries.

* * *

><p>"Akasha stepped away for a moment after the Mage cast his enchantment. It couldn't have been for more than a few seconds but she didn't say why and I couldn't see anything" Rosalie sighed shakily.<p>

We were holed up in one of the numerous, luxuriously furnished, chambers that the compound provided. I held Rosalie from behind, my arms curled around her slender waist while her hands resting on top of mine, I nuzzled the mating mark gracing her beautiful neck while we stood in front of a tapestry, depicting the stunning City of Volterra, hanging from the stone wall next to the oversized bed. Personally I found the room to be cold and impersonal. Victoria and Esme had the twins in an antechamber a little ways down the hall while Rosalie and I discussed what had just happened. The distance did nothing to dampen the sounds of Ashley's inconsolable screams, the sound of her pain and my mate's misery were two rusty knives buried in my heart, making it hard to breathe, to move, to think.

"We're Fae and Alexia's brother didn't strike me as someone who knew how to protect himself. It wouldn't have taken more than a few seconds..." I muttered, inhaling her scent deep into my lungs as I held her tight against my chest. Rosalie felt so good in my arms, things hadn't played out the way I'd wanted but I would thank the Gods every day for the rest of my life for keeping her and the twins and the rest of the family safe today.

"...But I don't believe she did it"

"No?" Rosalie tilted her head back to look at me.

"No, she might have been angry and upset about Dana but she had nothing to gain from killing Alexia's brother. It doesn't make sense at all" Rosalie turned in my arms and wrapped her arms around my lean waist. I took a deep breath when I felt the warm perfection of her luscious body press into mine, for the longest time we just stood there in the chamber, holding each other.

"She was all Fae for a minute there Bella. When you turned like that after I told you what Royce King did to me I found you stalking harmless humans, now I know you'd never hurt a human without just cause, but you weren't yourself and if I hadn't gotten to you in time, who knows what you would've done out of pure instinct and Akasha is so much older, more in tune with her inner animal than we are"

"Do you think she did it?" I pulled her closer and lowered my head to rest my forehead against her warm shoulder rather than let the memory of that night consume me again.

"I'm saying its not implausible but I honestly don't know for sure. You've got to talk to her about it..." I shivered when she tenderly nipped at my exposed neck with her flawless white teeth.

"...And trust your own judgement, its all any of us can do when it comes down to stuff like this"

I scoffed to myself. Tilting my head and pressing a kiss to the crook of her neck. I thought coming here and reasoning with Alexia would have a halfway decent ending for us, that was my call and it blew up in my face.

"And what if I'm wrong?. I was wrong in thinking Alexia could be reasoned with. I was probably wrong in keep my mouth shut about Dana..."

"They were incredibly hard decisions to make and you should never have been put under that kind of pressure, I should have shouldered more of it with you" Rosalie stroked my back soothingly.

"Are you kidding?, you were right there with me the whole time, looking after the twins and keeping me sane..." I lifted my head up off her shoulder to trace the exquisite contours of her beautiful face. My love. I lifted my hands to cup her jaw tenderly, I gently smoothed the pads of my thumbs along the ridges of Rosalie's high cheekbones, angled my head and lightly pressed my lips to hers. Her fingers pressed firmly into my hips as we kissed slowly, moving our lips together in sweet tandem, that swiftly made my skin tingle with awareness and the first traces of arousal swirling low in my stomach. I flick the tip of my tongue over my mate's warm lips, hearing her moan low in her throat as she reached down and cupped my ass. I growled against her soft mouth as our kiss grew fevered. Her fingers dug into the taut muscles of my backside, we rolled our hips together, while I trailed the fingertips of my right hand down the graceful column of her neck, heading downward to the ample creamy swells of her breasts, when there was a curt knock on the door of the chamber.

"...Well that is just fucking rude" I snarl frustratedly against Rosalie's intoxicating mouth as I pulled away from her slightly. My mate pressed our foreheads together and laughed huskily.

"Technically its considered rude when they don't knock" Rosalie murmured with a wry smile. I exhaled hard, I wanted inside my mate, I wanted to pleasure her, worship her flawless body like she deserved and drive away the memories of the day.

"Whatever..." I growled. Suddenly a loud shriek ripped through the air, putting both our arousals on ice, it was Ashley screaming. I took Rosalie's hand in mine and guided her across the chamber, I pulled open the heavy oak door to find Caius, Marcus and a tall blonde woman I'd never seen before standing out in the wide marble hallway.

"Can it wait?" I grumbled to the three vampires as I stepped out into the corridor with Rosalie. My distraught daughter needed my mate and I needed to clear things up with Akasha.

"We won't keep you long..." Caius murmured gently. Rosalie tucked herself into my side, I slipped my arm around her tiny waist and held her close while nodding to the pale haired vampire.

"...We've all been talking, us three and the remaining guards, and we want you to take the Throne"

"Hold up. I know there is that whole prophecy thing but if there is one thing I've learned from today, its that I'm not leadership material. You need someone older with experience, Christ, you two have been jointly ruling the vampire race for thousands of years, I think you're fully qualified for the job so good luck with it"

"Make us your advisors then, we'd be happy to help you" Marcus said in that impassive tone of his.

"You would make a better leader than we ever did. The entire race hates and mistrusts me and for a good reason. Marcus isn't decisive enough to govern on his own...We are obsolete" Caius argued.

"Well what about you?" I tilted my head at the unknown blonde.

"Bella this is Sulpicia, sister to Athenodora and Didyme. Aro forced her to marry him and she has been his prisoner here ever since" Marcus introduced calmly. I smiled tightly in greeting.

"I have spent two thousand years locked in this compound, I don't want to spend a moment longer down here" Sulpicia stated with a heavy sigh.

"So build another Capital city above ground, it doesn't have to be here" I argued, tightening my arm around Rosalie's waist.

"Bella, we are offering you the throne, whether you take it or not is up to you, but its yours if you should decide the answer is yes" Marcus tucked his hands into the front pockets of his silk slacks.

"We'll give you time to mull it over. But you should keep something in mind, with no official leader on the Volturi Throne to safeguard our laws and keep order, there is no deterrent to those vampires who would quite happily massacre entire cities to assuage their blood-lust, the Romanians for instance, there will be no one to settle disputes over territorial borders which will lead to the creation of Newborn armies. There will be anarchy on every continent inside a week once the rest of the race hears of Aro's death and might I remind you that several Volturi guards fled the compound when he died so rest assured that news is already spreading" Caius smirked slyly. The son of bitch knew I'd do anything to avoid that kind of chaos and he was using it against me.

"And remember that you still need to destroy the Binding Stone. If you take the Throne you will be internationally respected as Queen of all Vampires, the position will give you a chance to forge alliances with other supernatural races and their monarchies, which will make it a great deal easier to track down the serving families of Mage-kind. That should be your first step" Sulpicia added swiftly. I felt Rosalie begin to stroke my back between my shoulder blades soothingly and she tucked herself tighter into my right side as I heaved a sigh of annoyance. Did they have to be so fucking reasonable and sly when I was trying to turn down their offer?. What good would I be as a Queen?, when I was still working out how to be the best possible mate and mother I could be?.

"What about you Marcus?, you got a pretty speech to throw at me?" I arched an eyebrow quizzically.

"I think you seriously underestimate yourself but no one can force you to assume command, the choice is yours" Marcus shrugged. All three of them had a different approach to it, but they were making their point very clear; it was me or anarchy.

"Just give me time to think about it, will you?. I've got a lot on my mind right now" I sighed.

"Of course" Sulpicia grabbed a fistful of both male vampire's silk suit jackets and dragged them down the hall.

I shook my head slowly as I watched them go. Where did they get off ambushing me like that?, and when things were running just _so _smoothly. I lifted my free hand and pinched the bridge of my nose, knowing I was being unfair, those three had shared so many bad memories here, losing their mates and sisters, being forced to bow and scrape to Aro for two thousand years. I guess I couldn't blame them for wanting an out, but why did that 'out' have to be me?, there were others far more eligible for the job; Jane, Chelsea, hell Victoria would make a badass Vampire Queen and Tanya...Well she might be a clown but everyone would love and respect her her. That being said, why did it have to be a 'Queen', personally I think Eleazar would make a great King, he is wise, kind and he values everyone around him.

"Jesus, does it ever stop?..." Rosalie brushed her soft lips over my cheek "...Are you okay baby?"

"I feel like my head is going to explode." I complained, there was band of tension wrapped around my head like a vice, I could barely remember what a migraine feels like, but it sure as hell felt like my head was on fire. I just wanted a moment of peace and quiet with Rosalie, Ashley and Lucas and things kept piling on top of me. It was like being trapped in an avalanche.

"Prioritise. Speak to Akasha while I tend to the twins, then we can deal with the motley crew together" Rosalie lovingly nuzzled her soft cheek against mine. I felt myself purr contentedly as I took comfort in her close proximity, her scent, her warmth. God, without her I'd fall apart.

* * *

><p>"I didn't kill him..." Akasha murmured the second I slipped into the room, she was sat at a square oak table at the other side of the cold stone room, cradling her head in her hands. Elena stood behind her, comfortingly rubbing the back of Akasha's neck. I took a couple steps into the cold room, noticing that while the furnishings were the best money could buy, it was just as impersonal as the chamber I'd come from.<p>

"...I assume that is the reason you're here?" Akasha lifted her head out of her hands and stared at me. The amount of pain shinning in their dark eyes, rolling off of them in pulsating waves, almost sent me reeling back a step. I managed to stand my ground, but barely.

"Partly..." I nodded honestly "...But I actually wanted to see how you two were holding up"

"Well our elder daughter, who we have mourned for thousands of years is alive and we were reunited with her just to lose her again in the space of a few minutes. My former best friend hates me more than she ever did before, and that is saying something, while my youngest daughter thinks I killed an undistinguished _Sicarri, _which means he never harmed a fly in his life. All in all its been a pretty shitty day..." Akasha pursed her lips as she rubbed her temples. I tucked my hands into the front pockets of my worn jeans and tried not to flinch.

"...I didn't kill him. How could Lexi, of all people, think that I could murder a harmless boy?, her own brother?. Even if I turned completely, I _wouldn't_ have kill him" Akasha shook her head.

I breathed a sigh, hearing Rosalie's melodic voice crystal clear in my head, it was time to make a judgement call. There was too much genuine grief in her voice for her not to be sincere, but Lyssandra had also seemed truly insulted when the accusation was turned onto her. Someone was lying, and I refused to believe a _Sicarri _over my biological mother especially when that _Sicarri _just happened to sniffing after Alexia like a bitch in heat. Lyssandra had something to gain from adding coals to Alexia's hatred of Fae, Akasha didn't. That is my judgement

"I believe you..." I murmured quietly. Elena nuzzled the top of Akasha's blonde head and purred. I felt like an intruder on their moment and I felt like hell for breaking the silence, but things had to be said to bring the ambivalent future into clarity. That was the most important thing right now; damage control.

"...I was wondering if you know where others of our kind are" Akasha bit out a bitter laugh in response.

"There are nine left, not including us. _Nine _when there used to be millions. After the Great Purge I saved as many of them as I could and formed a nest in the Balkans while others tried their best to survive on their own. Over time some of them started to leave my nest, they made some bullshit excuse that it would be harder for the _Sicarri _to track us down if we existed in smaller nests. I didn't believe it for a second, they left because they lost faith in me the day I caused this and with Alexia ruthlessly hunting down the survivors of the Purge..." She shook her head slowly.

"..._Nine_" Akasha sighed harshly and dropped her head back into her hands.

"We need to find them as soon as possible. Alexia left you alive because she couldn't kill with Ashley near, they'll be safe with us" I prompted. Given the state she was in, I didn't want to push too hard, but she was the only one with the answers. Answers that could save lives.

"They're spread out all over the world. I can sense them if they're close enough, but I'd have to go looking for them to find them and they'll never trust me without help" Akasha whispered.

"Alexia is going to be more determined than ever...If they want to live, they listen to you" I pointed out bluntly.

"Assuming Alexia doesn't get to them first" Elena murmured as she massaged Akasha's shoulders. I grimaced, for all I knew Alexia could've already picked up the trail of one of those nine Fae.

"Will she come back for us, do you think?"

"She'll wait until Ashley comes of age before she does anything. If you are born into the supernatural world, when you reach your maturity, you no longer require your parent's protection or guidance. Its much like the animal world, you teach them everything when they're young so that when they reach eighteen they can strike out on their own and carry on the bloodline. Its just how things are done, its instinct, you'll come to realise thatthe deeper you descend into our world" Akasha leaned back in the chair and stared at me intently.

"She'll try to turn Ashley against us" I hissed, feeling like I'd just been punched in the stomach. I pressed my hand to my roiling abdomen, trying to stifle a wince and halt the pained wheeze rising up out of my throat.

"Yes. And when Ashley is full grown she'll need Lexi more than she needs you. Just like you need Rosalie more than Victoria and Esme...just like Dana needs _Soren _more than she needed us" Akasha lifted her hand and placed her palm over the back of Elena's hand on her shoulder. I snarled to myself.

"And we understand why you didn't tell us about you sister" Elena murmured softly. I gritted my teeth, clenching my jaw shut, and lowered my head guiltily, but I was alleviated that they weren't mad at me, I did need them and it wasn't just about instincts and their knowledge.

"How can we be when we owe you our lives?. If we had known then we would've come here instantly, and if we had, we'd be dead. Though my death would save nine others, who deserve to live happily without having to worry about Death showing up" Akasha mused, as if she was actually contemplating searching for Alexia so she could spare the rest of the Fae with a little self-sacrifice.

"No more Fae are going to die, not while I'm around." I promised. I cocked my head as Rosalie's advice and the information Akasha had provided suddenly swirled together. _Prioritise, _my mate had said.

Rosalie, Ashley, Lucas, myself, Akasha, Elena, Dana and the Nine...that meant that only sixteen Fae were still in existence today. I shook my head, we were probably never going to have the numbers of past generations, but with so few Fae still alive every mated pair had significant importance and their safety would take precedence if we were ever going to rebuild what we've lost. And Ashley is the key to our future. It was one thing for me tell Alexia what _I _thought Ashley wanted, it would be quite another for the Bane of our existence to hear Ashley asking for peace. We suffered a failure today but we would regroup and when Ashley reached her maturity Alexia would have no choice but to listen to her mate.

"What are you thinking?" Akasha cocked her head.

_That I would be nothing without Rosalie's genius backing me._

"I'm thinking I've got eighteen years to turn this shit around, because I'll be damned if I'll watch my daughter walk into Alexia's arms when the bitch is hell bent on killing the rest of us, and I know where to start" I heaved a sigh and turned on my heel, heading for the door. As the sounds of my boots hitting the stone floor resounded in my ears, I frowned as something Alexia had said came back to me. A name; _Greyella, _I thought about pausing and asking who 'Greyella' was and why the mere mention of the name pushed Akasha over the edge into that uncontrollable animal state when Fae were at their strongest and most immoral, I hated losing control like that. But I respected that my biological parents needed a moment alone as mates, they had things to talk about and to make sense of, any further questions could wait for day at least. I gripped the gold door handle and pulled the heavy door open before I slipped out into the expansive hallway. I had more important things to deal with myself.

* * *

><p>It was a good thing my family were spread out over a small section of the Volturi Compound, the plain marble hallways were exactly the same, all of them fifteen feet high by six in width and completely devoid of any distinguishable marks or decoration, so navigating my way through the labyrinth would've been a little awkward otherwise. At present it was like walking through a ghost town, I could hear vampires and the shifters subtly moving about in the chambers spread out over three levels, but the halls were entirely empty except for me.<p>

All of my senses were highly attuned to the sounds and scents of my mate, she was pacing over a short space several dozen metres away from me, out of my sight, in the antechamber Victoria and Esme had decided to settle in while waiting for our next move. I paused abruptly and cocked my head to better catch a wet coughing sound in the distance. I bit out a curse, my heightened senses were never wrong, but in this case I really hoped they were because I knew what I was listening to and it was nothing good, in fact it could potentially become dangerous if it continued. Cursing again, I tensed my taut leg muscles and propelled myself into a swift run. I blurred through the halls, agilely rounding the sharp corners as they materialised in front of me until I found myself bolting up a particularly long stretch of the corridor that led straight into the antechamber. A huge twelve-foot arch acted as an entryway and instead of a door wedged into the arch as a privacy partition, there was a floor length crimson velvet curtain which I could plainly see would be too heavy to be moved by even a violent gust of wind. I skidded to a stop in front of the screen, grabbed a fist full of the high-priced velvet and pulled the fall of the drape aside slightly so I could slip into the chamber before I let the curtain fall back into place.

Victoria, perched on the edge of an overstuffed leather couch, held Lucas securely in her lap. My son was gnawing on a stuffed kangaroo he held in his tiny hands, the stuffed-animal was no more than two or three inches big and the golden brown fur was damp with saliva, it was a good thing he didn't have teeth yet else the kangaroo would be in pieces. I assumed Esme brought the little toy with her which I was extremely thankful for, one out of two settled twins was better than both of them screaming. Listening to two distinct cries of misery was emotionally draining, I know the idea is to stay calm and let your child be soothed by your voice, but it was easily said than done when you wanted to comfort them and they were just so unhappy that they didn't respond.

"Hey little man" I stroked my forefinger along his pale cheek, Lucas grinned at me around a mouthful of toy kangaroo, he looked so adorable. I smiled tenderly at my son, before I turned my attention to Victoria but the redhead's eyes were focused somewhere over my shoulder. I stroked Lucas' cheek again before I turned to find Rosalie, sat on the couch opposite the sofa Victoria was perched on, my mate was wiping a satin smooth piece of cloth over Ashley's mouth while the little Fae continued heaving and coughing so forcefully her entire tiny body jerked. Supportively, Esme sat close by hovering over Rosalie's shoulder and stroking a hand down my mate's back in an effort to keep my lover calm. I strode toward them, pressing a gentle hand to Esme's slim shoulder, silently urging the petite motherly vampire to step aside and return to her mate while I tended to my own.

"What happened?" I sat down and snaked my arm around Rosalie's hour-glass waist and glanced down over her shoulder, my mate held Ashley on her left knee, one hand supporting our daughter's chest, under her chin, and rubbed the little Fae's back like she was burping Ashley. I felt like my heart was breaking in my chest as Ashley tried to cry and vomit at the same time around the desperate gasping and gagging sounds falling from her lips.

"She was crying so hard...She made herself sick..." Rosalie murmured tearfully, her dark eyes gleamed brightly while she continued to rub Ashley's back gently.

"...Its worse than the first time Alexia left her. What if she stops feeding again?..." Rosalie glanced at me. I covered my mouth with my free hand. Ashley was so young, she needs regular feeds or the lack of nutrition is going to impact her development. It could get dangerous, _very dangerous,_ very quickly. So what the hell were we supposed to do?. I bit my lip and winced when Ashley's wrenching sobs continued. It felt like my temples were trapped in a vice while someone tried to tear the unbeating heart clean out of my chest.

"...What are we going to do, Bella?"

"Can you two go and get Eleazar, please?..." I spoke to Victoria and Esme without looking at them "...And hurry"

I heard them respond with a soft 'of course' before they slipped out of the room together, taking Lucas with them. Ashley's crying only intensified when she noticed her little brother being taken away from her, suddenly we had two very unhappy Fae on our hands, Lucas lost interest in his stuffed kangaroo and threw it on the floor. He lifted his little arms as if he was reaching for his sister. Ashley choked as the force of her sorrow induced another bout of violent vomiting, I reached around Rosalie to take hold of the dark piece of cloth sat next to her on the couch, I gently wiped Ashley's mouth before I cast the messy fabric aside. This was worse than the first time, when Alexia had held her back at Denali Mansion, but then it was different. Ashley knew who Alexia was now, there was no moment of cold shock when first you realise the creature in front of you is your life mate, and my little girl had watched Alexia walk away _twice _just so she could pursue her revenge_. _While there was no doubt in my mind that the _Sicarri _was hurting just as much as my daughter, I didn't care about her pain, she chose this path for them and now Rosalie and I have to guide our grieving five week old daughter down that road. I _hated_ Alexia for doing this, but Ashley adored her and I recognised the truth of my earlier words, Ashley did need us all. The evidence was right in front of me.

The wait for Eleazar was agonising, though I doubt it was actually more than two minutes, it felt like hours, long torturous hours I was forced to listen and watch my daughter's frail little body racked with violent heaving and spasms. I pulled Rosalie into my side and stroked her shoulder, offering what little comfort I could to the woman I loved, while my mate tried to stifle her own sobs that instead came out of her mouth in distressed mewls. When Eleazar finally burst into the antechamber with Victoria, Esme and Lucas my dark eyes were burning with the familiar sting of tears and I was growling in frustration. The dark haired vampire strode purposefully toward us and knelt on the floor at Rosalie's feet as he instantly began scanning Ashley with the attentive eye of a doctor. He sighed harshly after just a few seconds. He glanced up to look both me and Rosalie in the eye, it was bad news, I could see it in his saddened gaze.

"As you can most likely tell, she is in a deep depression. Its causing what is unofficially known as 'Failure to Thrive' syndrome, this takes years to develop in human children but given she is Fae, things are always more intense for the Supernatural, be they good or bad..." He stayed kneeling as he went on.

"...This depression will undoubtedly stop her from feeding, as we saw at the Mansion, which causes great concern. After birth a human child's brain will grow as much in the first year as it will grow for the rest of their lives, lack of nutrition will impact this growth and their physical development as well. I'd wager that Ashley will evolve more in the first three to six months of life. As important as mental and physical development is in human children, it will be doubly so for a Fae because of her heightened senses and physical attributes. She will be severely vulnerable for the rest of her life if she doesn't progress properly now"

"What about...what do they call it...intravenous fluids. Could you take Rose's venom and feed her like that?" Victoria whispered. Eleazar didn't take his eyes away from Ashley as she continued sobbing her little heart out. I gritted my teeth as I waited for the vampire's answer.

"Intravenous fluids are introduced into the body via a central vein. Ashley's skin is impenetrable, it would be impossible, and it wouldn't be a long term solution anyway. We couldn't do that for years on end..." Eleazar sighed, before a thoughtful glint appeared in his eyes "...What about that little oak splinter she had with her, the one that carried Alexia's scent, it could..."

Rosalie had to clear her throat several times before she could interrupt "Ashleythrew it away...I guess its not enough after prolonged exposure to the real thing"

"Then I honestly don't know what to do for her, medication has no effect on us, even shifters are near enough immune and they are part human...I'm so sorry..." Eleazar whispered, he didn't have to finish his sentence for us to get the message. It wasn't a matter of what _we_ did for her, Ashley had to fight for her life or she was going to die. I clenched my teeth together so hard my jaw ached as I attempted to halt the snarl rumbling in my chest. There wasn't any life without my mate, I literally could not function without her and that mentality was the same for every other mated pair, for Ashley and Alexia too. Rosalie leaned further into my side and buried her face into my neck, but the action did nothing to mute her mournful moan. I kissed the top of her head, as a thought, both cursed and blessed, dawned on me. I know what I have to do, I just wished there was another way.

"I do..." I whispered brokenly. I don't know if my mate heard me over her heart wrenching sobs and paralysing sorrow, but I continued anyway, if I didn't say this now then I never would.

"...Akasha made me and everyone around me think I was human, in essence I _was_ human for a while, it wouldn't be difficult for her to numb Ashley and Alexia's Mate Bond. She wouldn't be able to break it, nothing could ever do that, but she could bury it on Ashley's side." Rosalie stopped shaking against me as she silently digested my suggestion. Ashley had cried her into an exhausted sleep and my mate had drawn our daughter close against her chest and was now crooning to the little Fae.

"Alexia would still feel the full connection and the Mate Bond would reawaken the second Ashley came of age, when she will be strong enough to deal with her own emotions and when she'll be physically mature enough to be Alexia's mate in every sense..." Eleazar stood up and paced a little, thinking "...I agree. Without that desperate yearning for her mate dominating every thought, Ashley would live a normal happy life just as any other child and she would develop smoothly. From a medical perspective its what is best for Ashley"

"We'd be messing around in her head. Taking something that means so much to her already" Rosalie whispered, her melodic voice was husky. That was exactly the reason I didn't want to follow through with my own suggestion, I didn't want to risk Ashley's hating me in the future but the alternative was watching her suffer and potentially having to stand by and watch her depression kill her.

"You'd be saving Ashley's life..." Victoria interjected, her British accent slipped and became heavily noticeable in a second, showing me that she had carefully considered what she was about to say "...She will come to understand that in time. In any case your parental duty is ensuring her safety, her health and her happiness. Obviously it would be easier with Alexia playing ball with you, but now you must do what you perceive as best. And I am agreement also, have Akasha numb the Bond and do it before Ashley wakes up"

"I don't think there is a right or wrong decision here; if you leave things as they are you risk her death, if you numb the Bond on her end then she will thrive and she will be relatively content, but she would be living a lie..." Esme whispered quietly "...And I'm willing to bet she will always feel like something crucial is missing"

"It'll be a mess..." Rosalie murmured "...But at least she'll be alive"

I turned my head to look at her as my mate pressed tighter into my side. Our dark eyes locked knowingly, as much as we both appreciated the opinions of our family, we were Ashley's parents so the final decision came down to us just as the consequences of the decision will be ours to face when Ashley's fateful eighteenth birthday arrived.

"Can someone go and bring Akasha here, please?"

_Fini_

**AN: So not the happiest of endings, but I've got to lay the foundation for the sequel, right?. As I said before a couple of chapters ago, this is by no means the end of the road, we're just turning a corner. I don't know when I'll get a chance to start on the sequel considering I'm about to get really busy at work and school for the next couple of months(More so than usual anyway) and juggling other stories too. I don't even have a title in mind yet but I do know what's going on plot wise so I ask that you just continue to be patient with me. I promised you a sequel and you'll get one. So thoughts?, questions?, criticisms?, lay 'em all on me. **


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